Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases, especially in childhood and adolescence. The incidence varies from 15 to 113 cases per 100 000 population with the maximum among children under 1 year old. The prevalence of epilepsy is high, ranging from 5 to 8 cases (in some regions – 10 cases) per 1000 children under 15 years old. Classification of the disease has great importance for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. The article presents a novel strategy for classification of epileptic seizures, developed in 2016. It contains a number of brand new concepts, including a very important one, saying that some seizures, previously considered as generalized or focal only, can be, in fact, both focal and generalized. They include tonic, atonic, myoclonic seizures and epileptic spasms. The term “secondarily generalized seizure” is replace by the term “bilateral tonic-clonic seizure” (as soon as it is not a separate type of epileptic seizures, and the term reflects the spread of discharge from any area of cerebral cortex and evolution of any types of focal seizures). International League Against Epilepsy recommends to abandon the term “pseudo-epileptic seizures” and replace it by the term “psychogenic non-epileptic seizures”. If a doctor is not sure that seizures have epileptic nature, the term “paroxysmal event” should be used without specifying the disease. The conception of childhood epileptic encephalopathies, developed within this novel classification project, is one of the most significant achievements, since in this case not only the seizures, but even epileptiform activity can induce severe disorders of higher mental functions. In addition to detailed description of the new strategy for classification of epileptic seizures, the article contains a comprehensive review of the existing principles of epilepsy and epileptic seizures classification.

The authors present a detailed literature review, devoted to epilepsy with electrical status epilepticus during slow-wave sleep (ESES), as well as own data. The issues of classification, etiology, ESES diagnostic criteria, aproaches to therapy and prognosis are discussed in the article. Authors pay particular attention to the description of electroencephalographic abnormalities in patients with ESES including changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) during seizures and in the intetictal period (first of all during sleep). EEG during sleep is crucial in case of ESES, it is necessary for diagnosis. 20 % of the patients have no epileptic seizures; the diagnosis is based on the EEG results and neuropsychological testing. Continuous spike-and- wave epileptiform activity on EEG during slow-wave sleep is a compulsory diagnostic criterion for ESES. This activity defines the clinical spectrum of cognitive and behavioral discorders in patients with this disease.

Objective: to assess the role and significance of benign epileptiform discharges of childhood (BEDC) on electroencephalogram (EEG) in development of speech and behaviorial disorders in children.

Materials and methods. 90 children aged 3–7 years were included in the study: 30 of them were healthy, 30 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 30 had expressive language disorder (ELD). We analyzed the role of persistent epileptiform activity (BEDC type) in EEG as well as frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity in the development of some neuropsychiatric disorders and speech disorders in children.

Results. We suggest to allocate a special variant of ADHD – epileptiform disintegration of behavior; we also propose the strategies for its therapeutic correction.

Conclusion. Detection of epileptiform activity (BEDC type) on EEG in children with ELD is a predictor of cognitive disorders development and requires therapeutic correction, which should be aimed at stimulation of brain maturation. Detection of frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity in children with ELD requires neurovisualization with further determining of treatment strategy.

The purpose of this article is to acquaint the specialists, working with children having developmental disorders, with age-related norms for speech development. Many well-known linguists and psychologists studied speech ontogenesis (logogenesis). Speech is a higher mental function, which integrates many functional systems. Speech development in infants during the first months after birth is ensured by the innate hearing and emerging ability to fix the gaze on the face of an adult. Innate emotional reactions are also being developed during this period, turning into nonverbal forms of communication. At about 6 months a baby starts to pronounce some syllables; at 7–9 months – repeats various sounds combinations, pronounced by adults. At 10–11 months a baby begins to react on the words, referred to him/her. The first words usually appear at an age of 1 year; this is the start of the stage of active speech development. At this time it is acceptable, if a child confuses or rearranges sounds, distorts or misses them. By the age of 1.5 years a child begins to understand abstract explanations of adults. Significant vocabulary enlargement occurs between 2 and 3 years; grammatical structures of the language are being formed during this period (a child starts to use phrases and sentences). Preschool age (3–7 y. o.) is characterized by incorrect, but steadily improving pronunciation of sounds and phonemic perception. The vocabulary increases; abstract speech and retelling are being formed. Children over 7 y. o. continue to improve grammar, writing and reading skills. The described stages may not have strict age boundaries, as soon as they are dependent not only on environment, but also on the child’s mental constitution, heredity and character.

Some issues concerning the impact of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system (HPAS) hormones on epileptogenesis are discussed in the article. It was found, that they have a direct and indirect impact. Direct effect implies the reduction of excitation level in the brain cells by affecting membrane channels and receptors involved in the regulation of certain neurotransmitters synthesis. Indirect effect is realized through positive influence on the brain neurons maturation process, leveling the stimulation of excitation processes mediated by biologically active substances, ions and other agents. Adrenocorticotropic hormone and glucocorticosteroids are the main hormones used in antiepileptic therapy. They have an impact both on epileptogenesis itself, and on induction/inhibition of their own effects in accordance with a feedback mechanism of hormones secretion. The mechanism of antiepileptic action of HPAS hormones allows considering them as true antiepileptic drugs for treatment of drug-resistant and special forms of epilepsy.

There has been recently an increase in the number of children diagnosed with delayed speech development. There is delay compensation with age, but mild deficiency often remains for life. Delayed speech development is more common in boys than in girls. Its etiology is unknown in most cases, so a child should be followed up to make an accurate diagnosis. Genetic predisposition or environmental factors frequently influence speech development. The course of its delays is various. In the history of a number of disorders (childhood disintegrative disorder, Landau–Kleffner syndrome), there is evidence for the normal development of speech to a certain period and then stops or even regresses. By way of comparison, there are generally speech developmental changes in autism even during the preverbal stage (a complex of revival fails to form; babbling is poor, low emotional, gibberish; at the same time, the baby recipes whole phrases without using them to communicate). These speech disorders are considered not only as a delay, but also as a developmental abnormality. Speech disorders in children should be diagnosed as early as possible in order to initiative corrective measures in time. In this case, a physician makes a diagnosis and a special education teacher does corrective work. The successful collaboration and mutual understanding of the specialists in these areas will determine quality of life for a child in the future. This paper focusses on the terminology and classification of delays, which are necessary for physicians and teachers to speak the same language.