School performance and praxis assessment in children with Rolandic Epilepsy
Ecila Paula dos Mesquita de Oliveira1, Marina Liberalesso Neri, Lívia Lucena de Medeiros
1Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Ciências Mêdicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. ecilapaula@uol.com.br
Insights
Children with Rolandic Epilepsy may experience difficulties in reading, writing, and arithmetic, despite average IQ. Early assessment is crucial to prevent academic and social challenges.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Linguistics
Background:
- Rolandic Epilepsy (RE) is the most common childhood epilepsy syndrome, typically considered benign with no neuropsychological impairment.
- Recent research suggests potential attention and language deficits in children with RE, challenging the benign evolution criteria.
- This study investigates school performance and praxis issues in children with RE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the academic performance of children with Rolandic Epilepsy.
- To identify praxis difficulties in children diagnosed with RE.
- To compare school performance and praxis issues between children with RE and a control group.
Main Methods:
- Nineteen patients aged 7-12 years with RE were clinically evaluated.
- Psychological assessment utilized the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (IQ).
- Language evaluation focused on academic performance and orofacial praxis.
Main Results:
- Children with RE showed significantly lower performance in writing, arithmetic, and reading compared to controls, despite average IQ.
- No orofacial apraxia was observed in the children with Rolandic Epilepsy.
- Intellectual efficiency (IQ) was within the average range for the RE group.
Conclusions:
- Specific deficits in children with RE necessitate targeted professional assessment and intervention.
- Addressing oral language and writing disorders can prevent academic, social, and emotional setbacks.
- Epilepsy syndrome prognosis depends on managing crises and addressing psychosocial factors impacting quality of life.
Background:
Rolandic Epilepsy is the most common form of childhood epilepsy. It is classified as idiopathic, age-related epileptic syndrome with benign evolution. The absence of neuropsychological impairment is part of the criteria of benignity of this epilepsy syndrome. Recently, however, several deficits related to attention and language have been suggested.
Aim:
to assess school performance and to investigate praxis problems in patients with rolandic epilepsy in comparison to a control group of normal children, paired by age, gender and educational level.
Method:
nineteen patients aged between 7 and 12 years underwent clinical neurological evaluation, psychological assessment, through the Weschsler Scales of Intelligence, and language evaluation, to assess the academic performance and to investigate the presence or absence of praxis difficulties.
Result:
the obtained data indicate that although intellectual efficiency (measured through the Intelligence Quatient - IQ) was within average, children with rolandic epilepsy presented a significantly poorer performance when compared to the control group in tests involving writing, arithmetic and reading. Another important aspect was the absence of orofacial apraxia in children with epilepsy.
Conclusion:
the results of the study suggest that the assessment of children with epilepsy is necessary to investigate specific deficits that require appropriate professional assistance. Regarding the presence of oral language and/or writing disorders in these children, academic, social and emotional deficits can be avoided. The prognosis of epileptic syndrome does not exclusively depend on the control of the crises, since social or cultural problems can interfere in life quality as much as the crisis.
