Benign focal childhood epilepsy is a common form of epilepsy in children, causing seizures that make the muscles all over the body stiffen and jerk. Benign focal childhood epileptic seizures usually occur at night.

Benign focal childhood epilepsy has no known cause, but it may run in families. The condition develops in school-age children and disappears during the teen years. Until then, medication can usually control the seizures, but treatment for seizures is not always necessary.

Most children with benign focal childhood epilepsy have normal intelligence and do not have other brain or nervous system disorders.