Reading Development in Childhood Epilepsy and Neuropsychological Predictors: Utility and Longitudinal Results

Abstract

Through secondary analysis of longitudinal data on children with new/recent onset epilepsy, the purpose of this study was to examine reading accuracy skills longitudinally and separately as compared to age-matched children as well as investigate neurocognitive abilities associated with semantic memory. Participants (N=284) were aged 7-18 years, comprised of 106 controls and 178 new/recent-onset epilepsy, including 89 genetic focal epilepsy (FE) and 89 genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE). Multiple analysis of covariances (ANCOVAs) were used to examine the differences in means for target variables between the groups at various time points with age, handedness, and number of anti-epileptic medication (AED) covariates; multiple 2x3 (time by group) repeated measure ANCOVAs were used to examine the change in means for target variables from baseline to 2-year follow up across groups with age, handedness, and AED covariates; and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) path analyses were used to evaluate the directionality and causality in the relationship between the latent construct and target variables while controlling for age and AED. Differences between the groups were also statistically examined. Results from baseline ANCOVAs indicated no significant differences in reading accuracy skills or measures of semantic memory. Results from 2x3 ANCOVAs found significant main effects of time for each skill and across each group. No significant main effect of group was observed. Post hoc revealed the FE group showed a significant better word recognition performance overtime compared to the control group. No significant group differences were noted in fluency or decoding scores. Additional ANCOVAs at 2-year follow up revealed no significant differences in word recognition or decoding, but a significant difference was identified in fluency scores, indicating the control group had a significantly better performance than the GGE group. Results of SEM path analyses revealed measures of vocabulary and expressive vocabulary were significantly and positively correlated to represent semantic memory. Also, semantic memory was significantly associated with each skill at baseline and 2-year follow up for all groups. Study limitations, implications, and future research directions were discussed.