Long term outcome from early childhood brain injury: 10 year follow up

Funded Activity Summary

The primary aim of this project is to further improve our understanding of the long-term consequences of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). Over the past decade our research team has ascertained a sample of children sustaining TBI, and systematically followed their progress over a 5-year period. The project has an international reputation, and is unique in terms of length of follow-up, prospective design and representative, well-maintained sample. Our findings challenge the traditionally held view that children are resilient and recover fully from early brain insult. Rather, we have shown that, up to 5 years post-TBI, many children experience impairments in physical, cognitive and behavioural function. These impairments result in educational, vocational, social and emotional problems, limiting the child's capacity to meet developmental expectations and achieve adequate quality of life. The implication is that these problems will lead to life-long disability, resulting in high levels of individual, family and community burden. However, with follow-up data limited to 5 years, there remains a possibility that ongoing developmental processes may support an extended recovery period in childhood TBI, in comparison to the 2-year period cited in adult models. The review of this sample, 10 years post-injury, provides an unprecedented opportunity to address this possibility and to document recovery-outcome as children move into adolescence and adulthood. Not all children experience problems post-injury. However, predicting individual outcome remains a significant challenge, with particular clinical relevance to treatment and follow-up. Thus, the second aim of the proposed study is to examine factors that contribute to recovery and outcome.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2004

End Date: 01-01-2006

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $338,900.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Economic history

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Development | Paediatrics | Recovery | Traumatic brain injury | brain abnormalities | functional abnormalities | impairments in cognition | traumatic brain injury

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