Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Adolescents: Academic and Intellectual Outcomes Following Injury

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the impact of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) on intellectual and academic outcomes postinjury. A comprehensive assessment of cognition, achievement, learning, and memory was administered to 27 children and adolescents 6 to 8 years post-TBI. Findings revealed that parent ratings of premorbid achievement were a significant predictor of achievement postinjury, reiterating the importance of obtaining information from parents regarding their child's functioning. Furthermore, severity of injury had a significant impact on nonverbal IQ performance. Children and adolescents with more severe head injuries used less effective learning strategies to encode and recall information. Findings are addressed in terms of implications for educators and educational programming for working with school-age children following a TBI.