Question

A 2-year-old holds his breath until he passes out when he wants something his mother does not want him to have. You would base your evaluation of whether these temper tantrums are a form of seizure on the basis that:

A.seizures rarely occur in toddlers.
B.with seizures, cyanosis rarely develops.
C.seizures are not provoked; temper tantrums are.
D.seizures typically occur with fever; temper tantrums do not.

Answer 1

The evaluation of whether a 2-year-old's temper tantrums are a form of seizure would be based on the understanding that seizures are not provoked by situational demands, whereas temper tantrums are. Seizures result from abnormal brain activity, often unrelated to immediate environmental triggers.

Step-by-step explanation:

You would base your evaluation of whether these temper tantrums are a form of seizure on the basis that seizures are not provoked; temper tantrums are. Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain and can occur in toddlers. However, they are not typically provoked by specific situational demands or frustrations, which is characteristic of temper tantrums. In contrast, temper tantrums in toddlers often result when they are unable to obtain something they want or are faced with limits set by caregivers.

Seizures can sometimes have predictable triggers in certain types of epilepsy, but these are not the same as the environmental or situational triggers of temper tantrums. While seizures can be associated with other symptoms such as a fever or infections, the fact that a temper tantrum occurs in a context where a child is demanding something and then holds their breath until they pass out points away from seizures and towards behaviorally driven events.