The mother whose child is generally alert and participates well in classroom activities is concerned that the teacher now reported that the child has frequent periods during the day when he appears to be staring off into space. The nurse should suspect that the child has which problem?

Absence seizures are a type of generalized seizure. They consist of a sudden, brief (usually 5 to 10 seconds) arrest of the child's motor activities accompanied by a blank stare and a loss of awareness. The child's posture is maintained at the end of the seizure, and the child returns to activity that was in process as though nothing has happened. School phobia includes physical symptoms that usually occur at home and that may prevent the child from attending school. Behavior problems would be noted by more overt symptoms than the ones described in this question. A child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity syndrome becomes easily distracted, is fidgety, and has difficulty following directions.