Abstracts

RATIONALE: Research consistently indicates that children with epilepsy are at risk for academic underachievement. Multiple etiologies including both neurological and psychosocial factors have been postulated to contribute to these difficulties. The present study employed a multietiological approach to assess academic achievement in children with controlled epilepsy; to examine the relationship between academic ahcievement and self-esteem, attention, memory, and socioeconomic status; and to determine the effects of seizure type, gender, and duration of epilepsy on cognitive and academic performance. METHODS: Subjects included 65 children (mean age = 10 yrs, 5 mos) with controlled complex partial or generalized epilepsy. All children were on monotherapy without evidence of medication toxicity. Children previously diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disabilities, or Mental Retardation were excluded from the study. Children were assessed with measures of intelligence, academic achievement, self-esteem, attention, memory, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Assessment of academic performance suggested achievement within the expected range based on measured cognitive ability. A stepwise regression analysis with academic achievement as the dependent variable indicated a strong association (p = ? .004) between achievement and attentional skills when IQ was controlled. Seizure type, gender, and duration of epilepsy were not associated with differences in academic performance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the importance of measuring attention skills in children with epilepsy and suggest that reduced attention skills may be associated with decreased academic performance in these children.