How do I help my child through an electroencephalogram (EEG)?

To obtain an EEG, a number of electrodes are applied to your child’s head with spaghetti-like wires to monitor the electrical brain activity. It will not hurt your child, but it may be uncomfortable. An EEG may take a few hours or up to three days in the hospital so that the proper data can be collected.

It is important to discuss what will happen before the test. For example, telling your child, “Some sticky, goopy gel will be put on your head to help keep the stickers in place, which have some rainbow colored wires attached to them. Then you'll have something like a ‘funny hat’ put on your head.” You may want to create a Social Story or show a YouTube video like this one from Boston Children’s Hospital to prime your child as much as possible so that they know what will happen before you even enter the hospital. Also, your child may benefit from acting the procedure out with a doll. The “unknown” can cause a child anxiety, whereas knowing exactly what will happen can help ease fears for some children.

Also, do not hesitate to contact the hospital child life specialist or request a visit from a therapy dog if you think it may help your child.

During the few hours or even days for the EEG, it is important that your child is comfortable and has fun things to do as distractions. You can also ask family members to call or FaceTime, so your child knows that everyone cares and is cheering them on throughout the testing.

You can also have EEGs done at home. For home EEGs, make sure to wash the child’s hair before the study as they can’t bathe or shower with the leads on. Also, because the EEG will be recorded on video, try to keep your child on camera.

For more information and tips, see our full article Epilepsy 101.