Specific learning disorders in epileptic children.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Neuropsychiatry, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha Egypt.

Abstract

Specific learning disorders are more common in epileptic children even with normal IQ, The Epilepsy related factors such as (duration of illness , type and severity of epilepsy and medications used ) are strongly related to increase risk of learning disorders. The present study is aimed to shed the light on the specific learning disorders in epileptic children and to study the relation between learning disorders and the epilepsy related factors such as duration , medications , type and severity of epilepsy. Also to study the relation between the learning disorders and the intelligence quotient.
The study was conducted on 60 children between the age group of 9and 12 years old.All were subjected to a Semi structured interview, Learning & Developmental Disorders Rating Scales ( LDDRS ) Battery (El-Zyat , 2007), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5), Fifth Edition translated by (Farag,2010).
The results showed that Seizures was not the only problem that children with epilepsy are suffering from but also they are at greater risk for developing learning Disabilities. From the developmental disorders attention disorder was the most common detected followed by memory then auditory processing disorder followed by visual processing disorder then motor skills disorders. While regarding the academic learning disorders reading disorder was the most prevalent followed by the writing and mathematics being the least detected among the studied group. It is concluded that the most leading causes for learning disability in epileptic children ,as verified in the studied

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