Relations of change in condition severity and school self-concept to change in achievement-related behavior in children with asthma or epilepsy

The purpose of this study was to examine, in children with either asthma or epilepsy, the relation of gender, change in condition severity, and change in school self-concept to change in teachers' ratings of academic-related behavior. Children with asthma (n = 110) and children with epilepsy (n = 11 7) were assessed at two times, 4 rears apart, with the Adaptive Functioning section of the Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behavior Checklist a nd the School Self-Concept subscale of the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale for Children. Overall, children with asthma improved more than the children with epilepsy. Change in condition severity was significantly related to A cademic Performance for children with epilepsy, with those having high seve rity at both times doing less well. For the children with asthma, change in condition severity was related to changes in Academic Performance, Happy, Learning, and Total Adaptive Functioning. School Self-Concept was related t o changes in Working Hard, Happy, Behaving Appropriately, Learning, and Tot al Adaptive Functioning only for children with epilepsy. With the exception of children with high-severity epilepsy over time, the majority of the chi ldren were near the population mean in achievement-related behavior at foll ow-up. (C) 2000 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by El sevier Science Ltd.