Special education needs of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy

• Published in: Developmental medicine and child neurology 2005-11, Vol.47 (11), p.749-753
• Main Authors: Berg, Anne T, Smith, Susan N, Frobish, Daniel, Levy, Susan R, Testa, Francine M, Beckerman, Barbara, Shinnar, Shlomo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Adolescent; Age of Onset; Child; Child, Preschool; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cognition Disorders - rehabilitation; Education, Special; Epilepsy; Epilepsy - physiopathology; Epilepsy - rehabilitation; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Needs Assessment; Original Articles; Outcomes of Education; Prospective Studies; Seizures; Special Education
• ISSN: 0012-1622; 1469-8749
• DOI: 10.1017/S001216220500157X

Children with epilepsy often experience poor social and educational outcomes. This study aimed to determine the timing of services with respect to the onset of seizures. It also aimed to identify the aspects of childhood epilepsy (type of epilepsy, etiology, seizure control, and treatment) that are associated with the use of special education services. As part of a prospective community-based study, 613 children were recruited when first diagnosed with epilepsy. Mean age at first seizure was 5 years 11 months (SD 4, range 1mo to 15y 8mo). Parents were interviewed 5 years after children were first diagnosed with epilepsy (n=542; 276 [51%] males). Children's mean age at time of interview was 11 years 10 months (SD 4y 1mo, range 5y 8mo to 21y 8mo). Etiology was classified as idiopathic (n=181, 33.4%), cryptogenic (n=261, 48.2%), and remote symptomatic (n=100, 18.5%). Service use was reported in 315 (58%) children. Compared with neurologically intact children (i.e. cryptogenic and idiopathic etiology; n=415, 77%), children with a remote symptomatic etiology and/or an epileptic encephalopathy (n=127, 23%) received services more frequently (88% vs 49%, p