No single test can diagnose epilepsy. It’s a complex process to identify this condition, classify it and determine the cause of seizures. You need an epileptologist, a neurologist with extensive training and experience treating epilepsy, to guide you and your child along the way. 

Diagnosing Epilepsy in Children 

Your epileptologist will have a discussion with you and your child about their seizures. The epileptologist will also ask detailed questions about your child’s medical history. Knowing their medical history can sometimes help the doctor identify a cause of seizures, such as a head injury, infection or stroke. 

Blood tests can check your child’s general health and rule out possible causes of seizures, such as low blood sugar levels or diabetes. And a neurological exam can assess your child’s muscles, senses, reflexes, coordination and cognitive ability.

Your epileptologist may also order other tests: 

Imaging tests 

These imaging tests may help identify a possible cause of seizures: 

• CT scan: This test uses a series of X-rays taken from different angles to create detailed images of your child’s brain. 
• MRI: This scan uses a magnet and radio waves to produce 3D images of the brain.  
• Functional MRI (fMRI): This advanced imaging test measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. It shows which areas of the brain are active when your child performs specific tasks. Doctors may use fMRI to help plan epilepsy surgery. 
• Positron emission tomography (PET scan): This imaging test uses a low dose of a radioactive substance to visualize and measure changes in metabolic and other processes in the body and brain, such as blood flow. 
• Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT brain scan): This scan uses a radioactive substance to show and measure blood flow in the brain. It may help identify where seizures start. 

Electroencephalogram (EEG) 

An EEG is an important test because it records electrical activity in your child’s brain. Electrodes are placed on your child’s scalp and connected to a computer. The test detects patterns of normal and abnormal brain electrical activity. This painless test may be done during an outpatient appointment, or your child may be admitted to the hospital. 

We have a specialized monitoring unit that uses EEG to monitor seizures over time. All our EEG technicians and registered neurodiagnostic technologists are trained to work with children who have special needs, such as autism and developmental delays. In addition, child life specialists can support you, your child and EEG staff as the EEG leads are placed to make the experience less stressful.  

Ambulatory EEG monitoring 

Depending on your child’s needs, we may offer ambulatory monitoring, which allows them to complete testing at home. First, your child visits the outpatient lab to have EEG leads placed on their scalp. Then they wear the EEG device home. It’s equipped with a camera, which monitors them for up to 72 hours while they’re awake and asleep. After the designated time, they return to the lab. A neurodiagnostic technologist removes the leads and downloads the EEG data for the doctor to read. 

Neuropsychological testing

A pediatric neuropsychologist evaluates cognition and behavior as they relate to brain functioning. A neuropsychological test can provide information regarding a child’s: 

• Attention and concentration 
• Fine motor skills 
• Intellectual abilities 
• Language 
• Memory and learning
• Problem-solving abilities 

Neuropsychological testing may involve games, activities and other tasks that assess what your child can learn, pay attention to and remember. Your specialist will use the information they gather from evaluation and testing to:

• Help confirm a diagnosis 
• Record your child’s functioning before and after treatment or surgery
• Inform treatment decisions and develop a personalized epilepsy treatment plan
• Make recommendations for accommodations at school, at home and in the community 

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit 

The epilepsy monitoring unit at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is a six-bed unit that’s specially designed and equipped to care for children undergoing video EEG monitoring. Our epileptologists may use this technology to determine whether your child is a candidate for surgery.

Video EEG records what your child does or experiences while an EEG records brainwaves. It can show what happens internally and externally when your child has a seizure. 

Your child will have a private room staffed by nurses, EEG technicians and registered neurodiagnostic technologists who specialize in pediatric epilepsy. A technologist connects the EEG, and your child is monitored continuously throughout their stay. 

The length of testing is based on:  

• Your child’s condition 
• Goals of admission 
• The healthcare team’s recommendation 

Child life specialists support your family throughout the process, providing comfort, education and positive coping techniques. 

Pediatric Epilepsy Diagnosis: Why Choose Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital? 

When you bring your child to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for epilepsy diagnosis or monitoring, you’ll find: 

• Comprehensive patient- and family-centered care: Our multidisciplinary team addresses the medical, behavioral, educational and developmental needs of children with epilepsy and their families.  
• Skilled team of specialists: Our specially trained pediatric neurologists are board certified and fellowship trained to treat this complex condition. They have years of training and experience managing complex pediatric epilepsy. Our EEG technicians and registered neurodiagnostic technologists are also specially trained in pediatric epilepsy. They are members of ASET – The Neurodiagnostic Society and American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. These professional credentials demonstrate their expertise in pediatric neurodiagnostics. 
• Advanced technology: We have a six-bed epilepsy monitoring unit with the latest neurodiagnostic testing technology. The unit is continuously monitored 24/7. 
• Long-term partnership: Your child will change over time, and epilepsy does too. We are committed to partnering with your family throughout the journey. You know your child best, so we communicate and listen to understand these changes and your evolving goals.  
• Welcoming environment: Our child life specialists make your child and family as comfortable as possible during diagnosis and monitoring. Your child can bring any comfort items with them for testing, and they can touch and feel the equipment to make it less scary. If your child has surgery here, we offer the on-campus Conine Clubhouse as a special home away from home. 
• Community advocacy: Our program works closely with the community to help people understand epilepsy and reduce stigmas. We partner with the Epilepsy Alliance of Florida to offer resources to families living with this condition. We also provide a range of epilepsy support groups.