Childhood epilepsy may have long-term consequences for educational attainment

19.08.2026

Having epilepsy during childhood may have consequences for educational attainment well into adult life, according to a new study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.

The researchers examined the educational trajectories of almost 1.2 million people born in Denmark between 1987 and 2005. Of these, nearly 12,000 had been diagnosed with epilepsy before the age of 15.

The results reveal a clear difference between children with and without epilepsy. By age 17, 12% of children with epilepsy had not completed compulsory schooling, compared with just under 4% of children without epilepsy. Children with epilepsy also achieved lower average grades in both Danish and mathematics in their final compulsory school examinations.

And the differences continued beyond compulsory school.

“We can see that children with epilepsy not only perform less well during compulsory schooling. The differences persist through the educational system and well into adulthood. This underlines the importance of paying close attention to children’s schooling and academic development from an early stage,” says Theresa Wimberley, Senior Researcher at the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University.

The researchers followed educational attainment from age 15 to age 35. By age 30, 37% of people with childhood epilepsy had not completed any education beyond compulsory school, compared with 15% among those without epilepsy.

The study also found that people with childhood epilepsy were consistently less likely to complete subsequent levels of education.

The largest differences were found among people who developed epilepsy very early in childhood or had more complex forms of epilepsy. In particular, children who also had intellectual disability, autism or ADHD had markedly poorer educational outcomes.

However, poorer educational outcomes were not confined to children with the most severe health challenges. Children with relatively uncomplicated epilepsy also had poorer educational outcomes on average than children without epilepsy.

“This is important because it shows that we should not only look out for educational difficulties among children with the most severe epilepsy or additional diagnoses. A child with relatively uncomplicated epilepsy may also need close monitoring of their academic development,” says Julie Werenberg Dreier, Professor at the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University.

The study cannot determine why children with epilepsy tend to have poorer educational outcomes. It therefore cannot conclude that epilepsy itself causes the differences.

Epilepsy can be accompanied by difficulties with concentration and attention. School absence, treatment, social circumstances and the practical consequences of living with a chronic condition may also affect a child’s education.

In their analyses, the researchers accounted for a wide range of differences between children with and without epilepsy, including circumstances around birth and parental education and income. The differences in educational outcomes nevertheless remained clear.

“The results do not mean that a child with epilepsy will necessarily experience educational difficulties. But they show that some children are at increased risk of falling behind. If we become better at identifying difficulties early and providing the right educational and psychosocial support, we can hopefully enable more children to fulfil their potential,” says Jakob Christensen, Consultant Neurologist at Aarhus University Hospital and Professor at Aarhus University.

The study also suggests that many people with childhood epilepsy do well once they progress through the educational system. Among those who successfully completed one level of education, the gap between people with and without epilepsy became smaller when progressing to the next level.

Study design:
Nationwide register-based cohort study including 1,195,138 people born in Denmark between 1987 and 2005, of whom 11,758 were diagnosed with epilepsy before the age of 15. Participants were followed through Danish health and education registers until the end of 2023 and up to age 35.

Collaborating institutions:
Aarhus University, including the National Centre for Register-based Research and the Centre for Integrated Register-based Research (CIRRAU), as well as the Department of Neurology at Aarhus University Hospital and the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University.

Funding:
The study was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, Independent Research Fund Denmark, and the Memorial Foundation of Sawmill Owner Jeppe Juhl and his wife Ovita Juhl. The funders had no influence on the study design, analyses, interpretation or publication.

Conflicts of interest:
Jakob Christensen has received honoraria for participation in scientific advisory boards and lectures from UCB Nordic and Eisai AB, as well as travel support from UCB Nordic. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Scientific article:
Theresa Wimberley, Betina B. Trabjerg, Julie Werenberg Dreier and Jakob Christensen: Epilepsy and Education: a nationwide cohort study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2026-338791.