Learning disabilities in school-aged children of mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 176
Subjects: Learning disabled children.; Lupus erythematosus.; Mothers of exceptional children -- Diseases.
Description: A relationship has been suggested between maternal immunoreactivity and adverse developmental outcomes in the offspring. This study examined the potential gestational influence of one such disease process, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), to determine if more children of mothers with SLE have learning disabilities, and in particular reading disabilities, compared to children of mothers who do not have SLE. A comprehensive battery of measures assessing various domains of neurocognitive functioning that have been shown to be related to reading difficulties was administered to children, ages 6--12 years, of mothers with and without SLE. Results indicated that prevalence rates of learning and reading disabilities were significantly higher (two-to-four-fold) for children of mothers with SLE compared to the rates expected in the general population. Moreover, post hoc exploratory analyses indicated that children of mothers with SLE scored lower compared to mean normative test performance on measures of word reading (pseudowords), on two neurocognitive processes that have been shown to be related to reading achievement, namely the analysis and synthesis of sounds in words and verbal memory span, and on perceived problems with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Higher levels of parenting stress were reported by mothers with SLE compared to a community sample of mothers who do not have SLE and by SLE mothers of learning disabled children compared to nonSLE mothers of learning disabled children. After controlling for overall parenting stress, learning disabled children of mothers with SLE did not exhibit a unique pattern of difficulties in academic achievement or attention problems, but they had lower scores on a measure of verbal working memory relative to learning disabled children in a community sample. Results are discussed in terms of the possible relationship between SLE in mothers and learning disabilities in their offspring, and the implications for clinicians and educators. However, given the post hoc exploratory nature of the comparisons between children of mothers with SLE and the normative sample and the comparisons between learning disabled children of mothers with SLE and learning disabled children of mothers in the community sample, the results of the post hoc analyses should be viewed as tentative findings requiring further investigation.
Notes: Adviser:  Tom Humphries.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-10, Section: A, page: 3693.