engleski

Children with newly diagnosed epilepsy and learning disabilities

In population of children with epilepsy there is great percentage of learning disabilities. The cause of learning disabilities in that population is multi-factorial. Aim of this study was to find prevalence and type of learning disabilities in school aged children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We examined Eighty-six (86) children with newly diagnosed epilepsy (34 boys, 52 girls), age from 7, 5 – 16 (M=11, 98, SD= 2, 6) were included it the study. Specific developmental learning disabilities - dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, attention deficit and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria. In detecting of learning disabilities Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Reading Technique Test and Bender-Gestalt test were used. Children with mental retardation, social and behavioural problems and language barriers were excluded. Specific developmental learning disabilities were diagnosed in 27 (31, 4%) children. One specific learning disability had 5 children (5, 8%). Two or more combine learning disorders had 22 children (25, 6%). There were no statistically significant differences between genders in learning disorders. These results showed extremely high prevalence of specific learning disabilities in children already at the “ beginning” of epilepsy. Future investigation must find the role of type and duration of epilepsy, as well as the role of antiepileptic treatment in occurrence and developing of specific learning disabilities.

epilepsy; learning disabilities

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