ABSTRACT Epilepsy is a neurological condition that sometimes pervades all domains of an affected child's life. At school, three specific threats to the wellbeing of children with epilepsy exist: (1) seizure-related injuries, (2) academic problems, and (3) stigmatization. Unfortunately, educators frequently fail to take into account educationally-relevant epilepsy information when making important decisions. One possible explanation for this is that parents are not sharing such information with teachers. This study surveyed 16 parents of children with epilepsy in order to determine the rate at which they disclosed the epilepsy diagnoses to their children's teachers, as well as the difficulty with which they made the decision to disclose or withhold such information. In addition, the relationships between such disclosure and parent-participants' perceptions of the risks of epilepsy-related injuries, academic struggles, and stigmatization at school were examined. Results indicate that all participants disclosed their children's epilepsy diagnoses to their children's teachers, and most (69%) reported that making this decision was "very easy." There were no statistically significant associations between disclosure and any of three parental perception variables (perceptions of the threats of injury, academic problems, and stigmatization at school). Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Epilepsy is a chronic illness impacting the lives of over 300,000 children nationally. Sexson and Madan-Swain offer a theory that addresses successful school reentry in children that are chronically ill. Their theory posits that successful school reentry is influenced by school personnel with appropriate attitudes, training experiences, and by factors relating to the child's illness. The parents of 74 students, between second and twelfth grades, completed a questionnaire addressing their child's epilepsy and their current level of seizure control. Each child's homeroom teacher also completed a survey regarding their training experiences about epilepsy and their attitudes towards individuals with epilepsy. Additional information was gathered from the child's school regarding attendance rates, most recent Terra Nova test scores (a group achievement test), and special education enrollment status. Data were analyzed via four multiple regression analyses and one logistic regression analysis. It was found that seizure control was a significant predictor for attendance, academic achievement (i.e., mathematics, writing, and reading), and special education enrollment. Additionally, teachers' attitudes towards epilepsy were a significant predictor of academic achievement (writing and reading) and special education enrollment. Teacher training experience was not a significant predictor in any of the analyses.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) General Abilities Index (GAI) and Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) have been advanced as possible diagnostic markers of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Diagnostic utility statistics were used to test the ability of GAI-CPI difference scores to identify children with ADHD. Participants included an ADHD sample (n = 78), a referred but non-diagnosed hospital sample (n = 66), and a simulated sample with virtually identical psychometric characteristics as the WISC-IV 2,200 child standardization sample. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were computed to determine the utility of GAI-CPI difference scores to identify children with ADHD. The GAI-CPI discrepancy method had an AUC of .64, 95% CI [0.58, 0.71] for the ADHD sample compared to the simulated normative sample and an AUC of .46, 95% CI [0.37, 0.56] for the ADHD sample compared to the referred but non-diagnosed hospital sample. These AUC scores indicate that the GAI-CPI discrepancy method has low accuracy.