Behavioral and academic problems in children with Sturge-Weber syndrome: Differences between children with and without seizures

• Published in: Epilepsy & behavior Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 457 - 463
• Main Authors: Raches, Darcy, Hiscock, Merrill, Chapieski, Lynn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analysis of Variance; Behavior; Child; Child Behavior Disorders - etiology; Children; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cognitive skills; Educational Status; Epilepsy; Female; Humans; Male; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Parents - psychology; Personality Inventory; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Seizure; Seizures; Seizures - complications; Seizures - psychology; Social Behavior; Social skills; Statistics, Nonparametric; Sturge-Weber Syndrome; Sturge-Weber Syndrome - complications; Sturge-Weber Syndrome - psychology; Seizure; Cognitive skills; Behavior; Social skills; Sturge-Weber Syndrome; Epilepsy
• ISSN: 1525-5050; 1525-5069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2012.06.004

Abstract Although Sturge-Weber (SWS) syndrome is associated with behavioral and academic problems in childhood, it is unknown whether those problems are concomitants of the disorder itself or of the seizure disorder that is common in SWS. We compared two groups of children with SWS-- one with seizures ( n = 20) and one without seizures ( n = 14)--on parent-report and teacher-report measures of behavioral and academic functioning. The two subgroups were compared with each other as well as with children with epilepsy alone ( n = 29) and a group of healthy controls ( n = 21). The SWS group with seizures was more impaired than the seizure-free group on 9 of 15 measures and the children with seizures were 10 times as likely to have received special education services. Overall, children with SWS and seizures were similar to the epilepsy group, whereas children with SWS and no seizures were similar to the controls.