10-18 year old children with epilepsy school experiences

The research was conducted to investigate the school experience of children between the ages of 10-18 diagnosed with epilepsy using qualitative analysis. The research was conducted with children between the ages of 10-18 diagnosed with epilepsy who applied to the pediatric neurology clinic of Mersin University Hospital between August 2024-May 2025. 20 children diagnosed with epilepsy were included in the scope of the research. The interview with the children was conducted at the Mersin University Hospital Child Neurology Clinic. The conversation during the interview was recorded and the recordings taken after the interview were deciphered. After the deciphering, the data of the research were coded using the MAXQDA 22 analysis program, themes were created, and the relationship between codes and subcodes was analyzed. In line with the data obtained from the interviews of the children included in the study, eight themes and 51 codes were obtained, namely, 'thoughts about health status', 'feelings about health status', 'difficulties in daily life', 'seizure symptoms', 'situations experienced after seizures at school', 'friendships', 'academic process' and 'social support at school'. The school experiences of children diagnosed with epilepsy were examined with the findings obtained. As a result of this study, it was determined that children with epilepsy experienced 'sleep problems, difficulty in physical activity, fatigue, speech difficulties' in daily life. There have been rare instances of decline in school performance. It was observed that they generally did not have friendship problems at school due to their illness. Children reported feeling sad, helpless, afraid and anxious due to epilepsy. As a result of this study, it was observed that children with epilepsy between the ages of 10-18 experienced fear, fatigue, anxiety, headache and not remembering the moment of the seizure when they had a seizure at school.It has been determined that they have to be absent from school on days when they go to the hospital for check-ups and on days when they have a seizure, and that they have difficulty when medication times coincide with class hours. In this regard, it can be suggested to raise awareness among families about adjusting medication times according to school hours, and to organize training for teachers regarding the necessary actions to be taken when children have seizures at school, as well as to support the child's social relationships. Keywords: Epilepsy, school, child, experience.