title: Social cognition in children with epilepsy in mainstream education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish whether deficits in social cognition are present in children with generalized or focal epilepsy in mainstream education, and whether any relation exists between social cognition, communication, and behaviour measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, children with an epilepsy-only diagnoses in mainstream education (n=20 with generalized epilepsy; eight males, 12 females; mean age 11y 6mo, SD 2y 6mo; and n=27 with focal epilepsy; 12 males, 15 females; mean age 11y 8mo, SD 2y 2mo) and comparison participants (n=57; 28 males, 29 females; mean age 11y 2mo, SD 2y 4mo) were administered the Strange Stories task and the Mind in the Eyes task, as well as an IQ assessment. Parents completed the Children's Communication Checklist-2 and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups of children with epilepsy performed more poorly than control children on the Mental Stories component of the Strange Stories task, F(2,101)=3.2, p<0.001. Performance on Mental Stories was related to pragmatic communication, but only in the generalized epilepsy group (r=0.51, p=0.03, 95% CI=0.2-0.8). There were no differences between epilepsy groups or control participants in the Mind in the Eyes task, F(2,101)=0.4, p=0.4.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with 'epilepsy only' are at risk of deficits in social cognition and may require appropriate support.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Adina R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lunn
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tomlin
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roach
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rakshi
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012938:Social Perception; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*