A 7-year-old boy is brought to the pediatric neurology clinic by his parents, who report that he has been having frequent episodes of “zoning out” over the past 3 months. These episodes occur multiple times a day, often during school or while playing. During these episodes, he stops talking mid-sentence, stares blankly for about 5–10 seconds, and does not respond to his name being called. After the episode, he resumes his activities as if nothing happened and has no memory of the event. His teacher has also noticed these episodes and reports that they occur 5–6 times a day, sometimes disrupting his ability to follow lessons. The parents are concerned because the episodes seem to be increasing in frequency. There is no history of fever, head trauma, or developmental delays. The child’s physical and neurological examinations are normal. An EEG is performed during one of these episodes, which shows generalized 3 Hz spike-and-wave discharges. What is the EEG finding indicative of in this context?
