Academic performance in children with new-onset seizures and asthma: A prospective study

Abstract

The study purpose was to compare teacher ratings of academic performance (TRP) over 24 months between children with new-onset seizures (N = 121) and new-onset asthma (N = 54) ages 4 to 14 years. At each data collection point (baseline, 12 months, 24 months), children with seizures were placed into two groups according to their recurrent seizure status (yes/no) during that period. Longitudinal linear mixed models were used to explore differences between the asthma group and the two seizure groups and to identify if differences in TRP in children with seizures were associated with age, gender, or use of medication. In the seizure sample, scores for children in both groups (with and without recurrent seizures) initially declined at 12 months; however, at 24 months, children who did not have recurrent seizures improved while children who continued to have recurrent seizures declined. There was a trend for younger children to decline more than older children. Keywords academic achievement; pediatric; epilepsy; school; teacher ratings Children with chronic seizures experience more academic problems than healthy children or children with other chronic health conditions, such as asthma (1-6), and also make less academic progress than would be expected for their age and intelligence quotient (IQ) level, (7,8). In longitudinal studies, children with chronic epilepsy failed to show improvement in academic performance over time and, despite an improvement in their seizure conditions, continued to perform worse than a healthy control group (9) and an asthma comparison sample (10).Correspondence to: Angela M. McNelis. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptEpilepsy Behav. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2008 March 1. Published in final edited form as:Epilepsy Behav. 2007 March ; 10(2): 311-318. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptAlthough the majority of studies of children with chronic seizures have found academic difficulties, studies are less consistent in delineating factors predicting underperformance.Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated associations between academic performance and several demographic, neurological, and seizure-related variables, including age, gender, certain antiepileptic medications (AEDs), and seizure frequency. Younger age at onset of seizures has been associated with higher rates of academic underachievement (7,8,(11)(12)(13). Furthermore, earlier age at onset of recurrent seizures was found to be the strongest predictor of cognitive impairment, including acade...

Social determinants of health in epilepsy

“…Normal functioning of children and aging adults with epilepsy is affected by limits on social participation (e.g., schooling/education and labor force) and need for care by others. For example, U.S. children with epilepsy experience declines in academic performance when they have reoccurring seizures [26,27] and show poorer social skills and sense of control [28]. Sociocultural systems must adopt to address the needs of age-specific groups with epilepsy, including provision of age-based epilepsy care (pediatric and geriatric) and auxiliary services (e.g., psychiatry, psychology, and social work) and access to such care (insurance for children and seniors).…”

Starting at the beginning: the neuropsychological status of children with new‐onset epilepsies*

“…Academic achievement appeared unaffected, suggesting an opportunity for early intervention. (see Dunn et al, 2002 and McNellis et al 2007 et al for additional information regarding academic achievement in both new onset and chronic cases from the Indianapolis series).…”

Brief clinical screening for academic underachievement in new-onset childhood epilepsy: Utility and longitudinal results

“…Some authors suggest that significant academic problems are not evident at or near the time of diagnosis, but tend to worsen over time [2, 7], while others contend that the academic careers of children with new onset epilepsy are already at risk at the time of diagnosis [8]. These differing views may be attributable to the varying nature of the populations studied, and the methods used to assess and define academic performance.…”