Teachers’ ratings of the academic performance of children with epilepsy

The present study examined how knowledge of a child’s seizure condition is related to teachers’ assessment of the child’s academic ability. Children with epilepsy were divided into two groups based on teachers’ awareness of the children’s seizure condition (Label). The children’s achievement was assessed using the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement—Revised (WJ-R), and the teacher’s ratings were obtained from the Child Behavior Checklist Teacher Report Form (TRF) (Source). A 2 (Source) × 2 (Label) mixed-design analysis of covariance (controlling for IQ and how well the teacher knew the child) revealed a significant interaction, F(1, 121) = 4.22, P = 0.04. For the WJ-R there was no effect of Label on Achievement, but on the TRF lower scores were observed for children who were labeled. These results support the hypothesis that some teachers might underestimate the academic abilities of children with epilepsy.