Question
The child is two and a half years old and only occasionally stares, happening two or three times a day. Otherwise, everything is normal. When called, he has a response, but it’s brief, and it’s not clear whether it’s a response to being called or something else.
Answer
Based on the symptoms you’ve described, you should pay close attention and observe carefully. If this phenomenon occurs more frequently, it’s advisable to take the child to the hospital for additional detailed examinations to determine the cause. There is a type of pediatric absence epilepsy, characterized by sudden onset, cessation of movement, staring, not responding to calls, possibly with blinking, but generally without accompanying or mild activity symptoms, which end suddenly. It usually lasts 5-20 seconds and rarely lasts less than 1 minute. It is mainly seen in children with absence epilepsy.