Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which have long-term impacts on physical and mental health as well as social and academic performances. Children with ASD are high-risk populations who can have subsequent epilepsy. However, in children with ASD, electroencephalography (EEG) can be abnormal without clinical seizures. There are some ASD patients were send to perform the EEG as the biomarker of clinical severlty.
Objectives: To determine correlations of EEG findings to severity and quality of life in children with ASD by using Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) score (Thai version) and Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM (PedsQL).
Methods: A cross-sectional study of Children aged between 2-18 years who have been diagnosed with ASD during 2004-2020 at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand. All patients undergo to have a sleep EEG recording, Parent of ASD patients complete the PedsQL 4.0 Generic core scales and ATEC score at the date of EEG appointment
Results: EEG abnormalities were found in 10 of 43 patients (23.26%). EEG abnormalities haven’t correlate with autism severity by ATEC score. There are mild severity 4 cases (40%), moderate severity 3 cases (30%), and severe severity 3 cases (30%). However, the results show autism severity correlate with sex, comorbidity, medication, and PedsQL score. The result show more ASD severity in male patients, patients with ADHD, and the patients with low PedsQL score.
Conclusions: The study confirm that EEG abnormalities are common in ASD patients, but there are no correlation with ASD severity by ATEC score. The result is difference from previous study. So, this cannot suggest that EEG abnormalities are a biomarker for ASD severity.
