Factors Associated with Academic Achievement in Children with Controlled Epilepsy

Children with epilepsy are at risk for academic underachievement. Multiple etiologies for this academic vulnerability have been suggested by past research including lower self-esteem, inattention, memory inefficiency, and lower socioeconomic status. The present study assessed 65 children (mean age =...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epilepsy & behavior 2001-06, Vol.2 (3), p.217-223
Main Authors: Williams, Jane, Phillips, Tonya, Griebel, May L., Sharp, Gregory B., Lange, Bernadette, Edgar, Terence, Simpson, Pippa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
achievement
cognitive
epilepsy
pediatric
psychosocial
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Summary:Children with epilepsy are at risk for academic underachievement. Multiple etiologies for this academic vulnerability have been suggested by past research including lower self-esteem, inattention, memory inefficiency, and lower socioeconomic status. The present study assessed 65 children (mean age = 10 years, 5 months) with well-controlled epilepsy on the four primary factors, as well as academic achievement and intelligence. A stepwise regression analysis was employed with academic achievement as the dependent variable and measures of self-esteem, attention, memory, and socioeconomic status as independent variables. When intelligence was controlled, attention was the only variable associated with achievement scores. Seizure variables including seizure type and duration of epilepsy were not associated with differences in academic performance. Findings support the importance of measuring attention skills in children with epilepsy and suggest that reduced auditory attention skills may be associated with decreased academic performance in these children.
ISSN:1525-5050
1525-5069
DOI:10.1006/ebeh.2001.0166