Competências de linguagem oral e escrita em crianças com epilepsia benigna de infância com pontas centro-temporais

Abstract

Any intrinsic or extrinsic factor that interferes with the natural process of language acquisition and development can compromise its course and, consequently, all the other associated activities. Disorders in the language domain are very common in childhood, a crucial period in this process, due to the neural sensitivity of the recruited networks. These changes often result from neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. In the vast diversity of epileptic syndromes that occur during childhood, Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BCECTS) is the most common. It is known that the epileptic activity of this syndrome can have an impact on the cognitive skills of children, namely at the level of attention and memory, as well as language. Considering the specificity of BCECTS localization (peri-rolandic area), it is necessary to deepen the knowledge about the possible sequels at the language level of children with this neuropathology. Therefore, seeking to contribute to the clarification of the language competences of this population, this thesis presents the work that results from an investigation that encompasses two systematic reviews of the literature, about the oral and written language skills of these children, and two empirical studies about the the assessment of their oral language competences, whether at preschool or school age, and the analysis of their reading and writing abilities, compared to a control sample. The results indicate that children with EBIPCT demonstrate lower language skills than their peers in several oral and written language areas. Thus, the relevance of early assessment of these capacities and the possible need for therapeutic intervention should be emphasized, in order to minimize the impact of these changes on their school performance and quality of life.

Date of Award	18 Dec 2018
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Emília Santos (Supervisor) & Paulo Oom (Co-Supervisor)