1st Pediatrics Commission Symposium

Neonatal Seizures

Chairs: Magda L. Nunes and Nick Abend
(Pediatric Commission - Chairs of the Neonatal Task Force)

Session 1: Neonatal Seizures

• Definitions and Etiologies
• Semiology
• Management
• Predicting Outcomes

Session 2: Status Epilepticus Monitoring and Seizures

• Status Epilepticus: Current knowledge and New Concepts
• EEG Monitoring: How and when
• Neonatal Epilepsy Syndromes: From self-limited to DEEs

Session 3: Neonatal EEG

• EEG Concepts
• Normal Patterns
• Abnormal Patterns
• aEEG Monitoring

Interactive Case Discussion and Conclusion

• Case Presentations
• Participant Case Discussion
• Take-Home Messages

Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs)

Chairs: Ingrid Scheffer and Elaine Wirrell
(Pediatric Commission Co-Chairs of Medical Therapies Task Force)

Session 1: Diagnosing and Classifying DEEs

• Caregiver Introduction – The Diagnostic Journey
• How Do We Classify DEEs?
• DEE Syndromes in Infants and Children
• Etiology-Driven Syndromes
• Investigations in Children with DEEs: What and When?
• Neuroimaging helps genetics vs. genetics helps neuroimaging.
• Panel Discussion and Q&A

Session 2: Important Syndromes – Illustrative Cases

• Early-Onset Spasms: Genetic or Structural?
• Case Presentation
• mTORopathy and Other Genetic-Structural Causes
• CDKL5 and Other Genetic Causes
• Recurrent Prolonged Febrile Seizures in Infants
• SCN1A-Related Epilepsies
• Q&A
• Epilepsy with Absence and Myoclonia in Early Life
• CHD2, SYNGAP1, and Glut1-Related Epilepsies
• Q&A
• Frequent Discharges on Sleep EEG
• Overcalling vs. Overtreating DEE/EE-SWAS from SeLECTS
• Distinguishing DEE/EE-SWAS from LGS and SeLECTS

Evidence-Based Treatment of DEEs

Chairs: Helen Cross and Jo Wilmshurst

Session 1: Current Anti-Seizure Medications (ASM)

• What Existing ASM Trials Teach Us and Their Limitations
• New ILAE Guidelines of  Pediatric Commission for 2025-2026
  • Vigabatrin vs. ACTH vs. Prednisolone
  • Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
• What have we learned with Dravet Syndrome? What is missing?

Round Table

Session 2: Advanced Therapies in DEEs

• The relevance of neuroimaging in epilepsy over the years
• Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: the sooner, the better
• Role of Surgery in DEEs: Is Surgery Precision Medicine?
• Role of Neuromodulation
• Role of Ketogenic Diet
• Personalized Treatment

Session 3: Neurodevelopmental Concerns in DEEs
Chairs: Kette Valente and Julia Jacobs-LeVan

• Assessing Neurodevelopment in Children with DEEs
• Diagnosing ASD in DEEs
• Behavioral and Cognitive Challenges: Intervention Strategies
• Panel Discussion and Q&A

Precision Medicine Beyond Drugs

Chairs: Helen Cross and Ingrid Scheffer

Session 1: Updates in Precision Medicine: Delineating Outcomes

• Metrics in Seizures and Clinical Trials Design
• Metrics in Non-Seizure Outcomes
• Therapeutic Innovations: What’s on the Horizon?

Session 2: Practical Cases and Challenges

Defining seizures, classification, searching for the etiology and discussing the best treatment

Closing Remarks and Future Directions

• Case Discussions
• Future Symposium Goals – 2026 and beyond