Abstract The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a tool for diagnosing epilepsy; by analyzing it, neurologists can identify alterations in brain activity associated with epilepsy. However, this task is not always easy to perform because of the duration of the EEG or the subjectivity of the specialist in detecting alterations. Aim To propose the use of an epileptic spike detector based on a matched filter and a neural network for supporting the diagnosis of epilepsy through a tool capable of automatically detecting spikes in pediatric EEGs. Results Automatic detection of spikes from an EEG waveform involved the creation of an epileptic spike template. The template was used in order to detect spikes by using a matched filter, and each spike detected was confirmed by a Neural Network to improve sensitivity and specificity. Thus, the detector developed achieved a sensitivity of 99.96% which is better than the range of what has been reported in the literature (82.68% and 94.4%), and a specificity of 99.26%, improving the specificity found in the best-reviewed studies. Conclusions Considering the results obtained in the evaluation, the solution becomes a promising alternative to support the automatic identification of epileptic spikes by neurologists.