Attention Following Pediatric Head Injury: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between age at injury (AAI) and attentional functioning, and intellectual and academic achievement following pediatric head injury. The theoretical framework of attention proposed by Mirsky, Anthony, Duncan, Ahern, and Kellam (1991) provided the basis for this analysis, and the profile of attention found in uninjured children was evaluated for this sample. Thirty-three moderately head-injured individuals were recruited, with AAI ranging from 1 to 12 years. First, the development of attentional skills in this closed head injury (CHI) sample was found to be comparable to that of Mirsky et al.'s model. Second, AAI did not predict outcome and appeared not to be associated with the finding of mildly delayed acquisition of spelling and arithmetic skills. Also, AAI did not predict the behavioral symptoms of inattention present in this sample as indicated by parental report. It may be that AAI only influences development following severe CHI in which there is permanent cerebral pathology.