title: Learning skills and academic performance in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although cognitive and learning disorders have been described in patients with epilepsy, very few studies focus on specific disorders such as absence epilepsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate learning skills and academic performance in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational case-control study. Cases were chosen from the Central League against Epilepsy's clinic in Bogotá, Colombia. Controls were selected from a private school and matched with cases by age, school year, and sex. Medical history, seizure frequency, antiepileptic treatment, and academic performance were assessed. Academic abilities were tested with Batería de Aptitudes Diferenciales y Generales (BADyG) (a Spanish-language test of differential and general aptitudes). Data were analysed using Student t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample consisted of 19 cases and 19 controls aged between 7 and 16. In 15 patients, seizures were controlled; all patients had received antiepileptic medication at some point and 78.9% were actively being treated. Although cases had higher rates of academic failure, a greater incidence of grade retention, and more therapeutic interventions than controls, these differences were not significant. Similarly, there were no significant differences on the BADyG test, except for the immediate memory subcategory on which cases scored higher than controls (P=.0006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children treated pharmacologically for absence epilepsy, whose seizures are controlled, have normal academic abilities and skills for their age.
authors: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: Claudia.talero@urosario.edu.co.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Talero-Gutiérrez
authors: Facultad de Pedagogía, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Sánchez-Torres
authors: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Velez-van-Meerbeke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Absence epilepsy; Academic performance; Epilepsia; Epilepsia ausencia; Epilepsy; Learning disorders; Pharmacological treatment; Rendimiento escolar; Trastorno del aprendizaje; Tratamiento farmacológico