Análise de alterações eletroencefalográficas entre indivíduos com transtorno do espectro autista e aqueles com transtorno do desenvolvimento de linguagem

Abstract

Introduction: Up to now, in addition to clinical evaluation, there is still no gold standard method to conclude the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Language Development Disorder (LDD). It is of paramount importance to start interventions as soon as possible to improve the functional, social, and communicative performance of these individuals, fostering for them as well as their families a better social inclusion Objectives: To analyze the specific electroencephalographic alterations among individuals with ASD and those with DLD that may contribute to an early diagnosis of both disorders. Specifically, to establish an electroencephalographic pattern as an early biomarker in individuals with ASD and LDD. Material and Method: This is a clinical, controlled, randomized and prospective study that comprise two groups: ASD and LDD, in which all participants underwent an electroencephalogram (EEG).Participants were selected from the electronic records of the Autism Ambulatory of the School Hospital of FAMERP-SP who were attended from January 2019 to December 2022; totaling 378 medical records that resulted in a sample of 29 children with ASD and ten children with LDD. Demographic data, diagnostic criteria and EEG changes were tabulated in an Excel spreadsheet and statistically analyzed. Descriptive analyses were performed for both groups. Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the ASD and LDD variables to correlate the data. In all cases the significance level adopted was p < 0.05. The software used was SPSS 15. Results: It was observed that in the whole sample (n = 39); the ASD disorder was 74.40% (n = 29) and the LDD was 25.60% (n = 10), with a predominance for males with 92.31% (n = 36), with 100% of leucoderms, without epilepsy and with clinical diagnosis. Age had a mean of8.12 ±,80 years; the CARS had a mean of 34.07 ± 7.95 points; time of diagnosis had a mean of 5.47 ±2.35 years. Only 23.10% (n = 9) had non-specific changes in the EEG. When crossing the ASD and LDD variables; the Student's t-test showed a significant difference in CARS score, with the TEA group showing a mean of 36,13± 7,15 statistically superior to the TDL group (26,17 ± 7,15) (p = 0,004). In the other comparisons no significant differences were found. Fisher's exact test showed correlation between sex and ASD (male) and LDD (both sexes) (p = 0.013). In the correlation EEG altered without specificity; it showed no significant differences (p = 0.197). Conclusion: No specific electroencephalographic alterations were found in individuals with ASD and LDD that could contribute to an early diagnosis of both disorders. Thus, it was not possible to establish an electroencephalographic pattern as an early biomarker for individuals with ASD and LDD.