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EEGS for Kids
If your child has questions about the EEG and what to expect, or you want a way to talk to your child about the EEG, start here!
The EEG is a special tool that helps us do research studies. A research study is a special way to find out about something. We are trying to find out how kids your age think, feel, and play, and we want you to have fun playing games and winning prizes too!
We call our EEG the “silly hat game” because you wear a hat that looks really silly when it’s on your head. It’s like a swim cap with a strap for your chin and holes all over it. When you come in to play the silly hat game we take some measurements of your head to get the perfect sized hat, and then we attach long, black spaghetti-strings to all the holes – these are called electrodes. These strings attach to a special computer that tells us how parts of your brain talk to each other and other parts of your body.
The silly hat game takes a little time to get set up, so you get to watch a movie, eat a snack, or even play with a toy while we work! Our research study is made to be as fun as possible from beginning to end.
Does it hurt?
No, the silly hat does not hurt to wear!
To make sure the silly hat works we need to use some of our special sparkly hair gel, this goes in each of the holes in the hat. When we put the sparkly gel in the holes it might feel cold, and we might tickle your head a little bit with the squirt tube we use, but we don’t give shots or medicine.
We also have to use special polka-dot stickers that go on your face, these help us count your points when you play games so you can win great prizes! Once we’re done with the silly hat game we will need to take them off your face. This feels kind of like taking a band-aid off, but we have a lot of practice so we are extra gentle and try very hard to make sure it does not hurt.
Does it read my mind?
The silly hat cannot read your mind. On our special computer we see lots of squiggly lines, these just tell us that your brain is working like it’s supposed to. We work with special doctors who use those squiggly lines later on to do science!
Do I have to play the silly hat game when I visit?
The only way to watch a movie, play games, and win fun prizes is to play the silly hat game. However, you can stop at any time. We don’t make you do anything you don’t want to do!
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