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Academic performance of school children with epilepsy
R C Ibekwe1, N C Ojinnaka, S O Iloeje
1Department of Paediatrics, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
West African Journal of Medicine
|November 26, 2008
Summary
Children with epilepsy in Nigeria show similar overall academic performance to their peers. However, they underachieve in specific subjects like English, Science, and Social Studies, indicating a need for targeted educational support.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Conflicting international data exists on epilepsy's impact on academic performance.
- Limited research is available on the academic performance of Nigerian children with epilepsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the academic performance of Nigerian children with epilepsy.
- To inform educational policies for children with epilepsy.
Main Methods:
- Compared academic performance of 50 epileptic children with matched non-epileptic classmates.
- Assessed performance using terminal examination scores in overall and individual subjects.
- Controlled for age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- 26% of epileptic children had poor overall academic performance versus 16% of controls (p=0.35).
- Epileptic children scored significantly lower in English (p=0.02), Science (p=0.02), and Social Studies (p=0.02).
- Generalized tonic-clonic seizure was the most common type.
Conclusions:
- Overall academic performance of epileptic children in mainstream schools is comparable to their peers.
- Epileptic children demonstrate underachievement in specific core subjects.
- Findings highlight the need for subject-specific interventions for epileptic students.
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