EEG abnormalities and severity of symptoms in non-epileptic autistic children

Background It has been recently shown that electroencephalogram (EEG) paroxysmal abnormalities are frequently recorded in patients with autism despite the absence of seizures.Objective On the basis of the increasing evidence of EEG abnormalities in autism, the aim of this study was to detect the EEG abnormalities in relation to the degree of severity of autism.Patients and methods EEG was measured in 40 autistic children aged 2–12 years, in comparison with 40 typically developing matched children. The severity of autism was assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale.Results We found that 50% of the autistic children had abnormal EEG findings. There was a statistically significant relation between the EEG abnormalities and the severity of autism. Moreover, there was a statistically significant relation between the site of the wave abnormalities and the severity of autism.Conclusion Our study suggests that the use of neurological investigative techniques such as EEG be considered routinely during the evaluation of autistic children.