Faculty Articles
Acute Intellectual Effects of Pediatric Head Trauma
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Child Neuropsychology
ISSN
0929-7049
Publication Date
1999
Abstract
The current study compared Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) performances of 30 children who sustained head injury with the performance of orthopedic controls matched on gender, age, race, and parental education and occupational attainment. Children were followed during initial hospitalization, trauma severity variables were recorded, and duration of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) was determined by serial testing of mental status. The WISC-III was administered immediately following resolution of amnesia. Although the majority of patients sustained mild injuries, children with head injuries obtained significantly lower IQ and factor scores than nonneurologically injured children. Consistent with past research, performance-based scores including Performance IQ, Perceptual Organization, and Processing Speed were more sensitive to head trauma than their verbal counterparts. Standardized measurement of PTA appeared to be a better predictor of IQ status following injury than Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission or length of unconsciousness.
DOI
10.1076/chin.5.2.104.3166
Volume
5
Issue
2
First Page
104
Last Page
114
NSUWorks Citation
Tremont, G.,
Mittenberg, W.,
Miller, L. J.
(1999). Acute Intellectual Effects of Pediatric Head Trauma. Child Neuropsychology, 5(2), 104-114.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/252
