[EEG maturation and hemispheric functional asymmetry in 5- to 7-year-old children with general speech retardation].

EEG and a hand-eye functional asymmetry (FAS) profile have been compared in children with general speech retardation (GSR, 45 cases) and in normal children (45 cases) aged 5-7 years. The least EEG deviations have been noted in healthy full right-handed cases. Some delay in EEG maturation as well as existence of pathologic activity foci mostly in associative cortical brain areas have been noted in healthy non-right-handed and in GSR children. The most pronounced EEG disturbances have been observed in GSR children, 40% of whom were ambidextrous, left-handed and cross-lateralized children. The percentage of non-right-handed cases in the healthy group was less and decreased up to the age of 7 years. Prenatal, perinatal and 1st year postnatal pathology have been revealed in 86.6% of children in GSR group (in comparison to 11.1% in normal control group). Such pathology is suggested to be the reason of dysontogenesis and probably to be involved in brain electrical activity maturation, in FAS profile and in speech development.