Recovery and predictors of intellectual ability two years following paediatric traumatic brain injury

Abstract

While a number of research papers have reported findings on intellectual skills following traumatic brain injury (TBI), only limited studies have monitored the recovery of these skills over time. The present study examined intellectual skills in a group of 70 children who had sustained a mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Results showed that, while the severe TBI group exhibited greatest recovery of intellectual ability over 24 months, they continued to perform more poorly than children who had sustained a mild and moderate injury. Further, domain-specific Index Scores, derived from intellectual measures, provided additional insight regarding the development and/or recovery of specific cognitive areas following TBI. Best predictor of intellectual outcome was socio-economic status.