More than seizures: sensory processing and modulation in pediatric epilepsy

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders in childhood and is frequently associated with motor, sensory, cognitive, and emotional difficulties. Sensory modulation and sensory processing difficulties are well described in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder; similar difficulties, emerging evidence suggests, may also be present in children without neurodevelopmental comorbidities, indicating the potential for mechanisms that operate independently within the context of epilepsy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate sensory processing and modulation characteristics in children aged three to ten years by comparing a group of children with epilepsy to typically developing peers. Sensory processing and modulation were assessed using the Sensory Profile, a standardized caregiver-reported questionnaire.

Visual processing was the only subscale showing a between-group difference, with lower scores in children with epilepsy than in the control group (p = 0.042, r = 0.282). However, this difference was not retained after adjustment for caregiver educational level and place of residence and was not reflected in the age-referenced performance classifications.

The sensory processing and modulation profiles of children with epilepsy were largely comparable to those of their typically developing peers. As the difference in visual processing scores was not supported by the adjusted analysis or age-referenced classifications, it should be regarded as preliminary and interpreted cautiously; larger studies with more balanced caregiver characteristics are needed to assess its reproducibility, clinical relevance, and the contribution of epilepsy-related clinical variables.