Absence seizures are mandatory seizures; these are not as frequent as seen in childhood absence epilepsy. Loss of awareness may be complete or may not be as severe as seen in childhood absence epilepsy. During absence seizures with incomplete loss of awareness an adolescent can respond to commands but has difficulty doing complex tasks. Absence status epilepticus can occur.
Generalized tonic-clonic seizures are common (in 80% of cases), and seen within 30 minutes of waking, but frequency is variable.