• Aura—a peculiar sensation (visual, auditory, taste, or other sensation) that precedes the onset of a seizure
• Automatisms—repetitive movements such as grimacing, picking, or lip smacking
• Clonic phase—alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles
• Ictal—the time during a seizure
• Preictal—the time before a seizure
• Postictal phase—the time immediately after the cessation of a seizure
• Prodromal—clinical symptoms (such as headache, malaise, depression) that occur hours to a few days before the onset of a seizure
• Tonic phase—a state of muscle contraction with excessive muscle tone
• Status epilepticus—the condition in which a seizure recurs before the individual regains consciousness from the previous seizure or a seizure lasting for more than 5 minutes (Hickey 2009). This is a state of emergency because cerebral hypoxia and aspiration can result from prolonged constriction of the respiratory muscles.