Wireless Electroencephalography in Research on Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Wireless electroencephalography (EEG) systems provide practical advantages over conventional devices in the assessment of children with developmental disabilities (DDs), as these systems offer enhanced portability and ease of use. However, a comprehensive understanding of their application in this population is currently lacking. OBJECTIVE We aimed to map the existing research trends on the use of wireless EEG among children with DDs across diverse contexts and multiple purposes. METHODS Following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and guided by the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework, we conducted a comprehensive search of seven databases (PubMed, Embase, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus) to identify studies that included the use of wireless EEG in children with DDs. Eligible studies included empirical investigations involving children (<19 years of age) with DDs in which data were collected using wireless EEG. The studies were independently screened, and the data on study characteristics, device specifications, and the purposes of EEG use were extracted. RESULTS Among the 505 studies initially identified, 42 met the inclusion criteria. The most frequently studied conditions were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 23, 54.76%) and autism spectrum disorder (n = 13, 30.95%). The majority of the studies were conducted in Asia (n = 28, 66.67%), and clinics were the most frequently reported study setting (n = 21, 50%). Emotiv EPOC devices were the most commonly used (n = 11, 26.19%). The primary applications of EEG included the identification of neurophysiological biomarkers for DDs (n = 16, 38.10%), followed by clinical diagnosis (n = 12, 28.57%), brain–computer interface (n = 8, 19.05%), and intervention effect evaluation (n = 6, 14.29%). CONCLUSIONS This scoping review highlights the growing interest in the use of wireless EEG as a practical tool for the assessment of children with DDs. Future large-scale studies encompassing a broader spectrum of DDs and conducted in naturalistic settings are essential to guide the optimized and tailored application of wireless EEG.