Everyday verbal memory and pediatric epilepsy

This study addressed the reliability and validity of reports of everyday verbal memory with a sample of 132 pediatric patients with epilepsy. Each patient and one parent completed a questionnaire on everyday verbal memory comprising two scales assessing learning/retrieval and prospective memory. Each patient was also administered tests of memory, attention, and academic skills. Information about attention, mood, and academic performance was obtained from parent and teacher report, as well as self-report. Memory test scores were correlated with children's reports of learning and retrieval in everyday activities, but were not significantly associated with reports of prospective memory. Reports of everyday memory were found to be reliable and predictive of academic performance. Performance on tests of memory, conversely, was unrelated to reports of academic performance. Reports of everyday memory may, therefore, provide more useful information than tests when evaluating the effects of epilepsy and its treatments.

Research Highlights
► A questionnaire was developed to assess everyday memory in children.
► Questionnaire items formed two subscales: Learning/Retrieval and Prospective Memory.
► There was moderate agreement between parent and child reports on both subscales.
► Both subscales predicted academic performance assessed by parent and teacher report.
► Objective memory test performance was not correlated with academic performance.