Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Practice Exam

Which of the following scenarios is MOST descriptive of an absence seizure?

1. A 6-year-old male who is conscious, but will not respond to his mother

2. A teenage girl who has a sudden drop in tone and becomes unresponsive for seconds

3. An elderly male who experiences a brief episode of confusion and then resumes normal activity

4. A toddler who falls down and has jerking movements for several minutes

The correct answer is: A 6-year-old male who is conscious, but will not respond to his mother

An absence seizure is characterized by brief episodes of impaired awareness, which may be confused with daydreaming or inattention. During this type of seizure, the individual typically remains conscious but is unresponsive to external stimuli, such as attempts to communicate. In the scenario described, a 6-year-old male who is conscious but does not respond to his mother exemplifies this aspect of absence seizures. The child may appear to be awake and aware of his surroundings but is momentarily disconnected or disengaged, which aligns with the hallmark features of an absence seizure. Other scenarios do not fit the definition of an absence seizure. A teenage girl who experiences a sudden drop in tone and becomes unresponsive for seconds suggests a possible atonic seizure, which involves loss of muscle tone rather than just an absence of response. An elderly male who experiences confusion and then resumes normal activity indicates potential postictal behavior, common in other seizure types, but not specific to absence seizures. Lastly, a toddler who falls down with jerking movements over several minutes describes a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, which includes muscle contractions and a loss of consciousness, rather than the brief and subtle nature of an absence seizure.