Language function in a child following mild traumatic brain injury: Evidence from pre- and post-injury language testing

Abstract

Objective: Pre- and post-injury language performance scores following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were investigated through a replication and subsequent extension of a previous case study where a trend for declining language scores was described based on pre- and post-injury data.Methods: Test norms were used to descriptively analyze pre- and post-morbid language performance and performance score changes. Score changes were subsequently statistically analyzed using data obtained from a group of age-matched non-brain-injured control children.Results: Descriptive analysis identified a trend for declining skill on general and high-level language skills. Statistical analysis failed to differentiate the mTBI case from the control group on language score changes.Conclusions: While supporting the earlier identified trends in language decline following mTBI, subsequent statistical analysis undertaken to extend the earlier findings failed to detect statistically significant changes in language outcomes following mild injury. The need for monitoring of yet-to-emerge higher-level adolescent language skills, however, is highlighted.