Abstract

Objective: To describe the electroencephalographic features, and investigate the correlation between electroencephalography and level of autism spectrum disorder..

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 71 pediatric patients aged 24 to 72 months, who were examined and definitively diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to DSM-V criteria by specialized pediatric neurologists. The assessments and diagnoses were carried out at the Pediatric Neurology - Autism - Endocrinology Department of the Central Pediatric Hospital in Hue, from April 2021 to June 2023.

Results: Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed dynamic seizure activity in 33.8%, slow waves in 12.7%, and abnormal localization in the right temporal lobe in 63.6% of cases. The risk of severe ASD, as measured by the CARS score, was 3.1 times higher in the group with abnormal EEG patterns compared to the normal EEG group (95% CI: 1.1 – 8.7).

Conclusion: Pediatricians and child psychiatrists can rely on common clinical signs and distinctive features of ASD to diagnose and intervene early in children. Children with ASD, accompanied by abnormal electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns and no history of clinical seizures, are at a higher risk of severity as measured by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Electroencephalography, CARS scale.