title: Electroencephalographic abnormalities during sleep in children with developmental speech-language disorders: a case-control study.
abstract: Earlier research has suggested a link between epileptiform activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and developmental speech-language disorder (DSLD). This study investigated the strength of this association by comparing the frequency of EEG abnormalities in 45 language-normal children (29 males, 16 females; mean age 6y 11mo, SD 1y 10mo, range 4y-9y 10mo) and 54 community-ascertained children (35 males, 19 females; mean age 5y 7mo, SD 1y 6mo, range 4y-9y 11mo) with a diagnosis of severe DSLD, defined as a score at least 2 SD below the mean on at least one speech-language measure, and a performance IQ of at least 80 points. All participants underwent sleep EEGs after sedation. Children with DSLD also had detailed speech-language, hearing, and psychological assessments. Results failed to support the previously identified strong association between abnormal EEG and DSLD. There was a weak, non-significant relationship between DSLD and epileptiform EEG. Epileptiform EEG was significantly associated with low performance IQ (p=0.04). This study draws into question previously reported associations between epileptiform activity and DSLD probably because it examined a purer cohort of children with more severe language difficulties who did not have seizures.
authors.affiliation: Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Bronwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parry-Fielder
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Eddie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Keir
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Rani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Ingrid E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Scheffer
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nolan
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric