Do Neuropsychological Measures Predict Academic Achievement in Children with Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury 12 Months Post-Injury?

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 133 - 134
• Main Authors: Houshyarnejad, A, Ellis, M, Babikian, T, Kernan, C, Asarnow, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2013
• ISSN: 0887-6177

Objective: Neurocognitive impairments are a common morbidity following childhood TBI. It is, therefore, imperative to understand the relationship between these difficulties and academic achievement chronically. The current study examined whether verbal memory, working memory, and processing speed predicted overall academic achievement in children with moderate to severe TBI 12 months post-injury. Method: Data for this study included longitudinal assessments conducted post-acutely (2-5 months post-injury) and chronically (9-14 months post-injury) on 15 subjects from the UCLA Recovery from pediatric brain injury project. Neuropsychological measures included the WISC-IV/WAIS-III Working Memory and Processing Speed Indices and total words recalled (Verbal Memory) from the CVLT-C/CVLT-II. Academic measures included the overall Academic Skills Index from the WJ-III. Participants included children and adolescents (mean age 14, SD 2.37, range 8-18) with moderate/severe TBI recruited from a network of Los Angeles County pediatric ICUs. Results: Processing speed 12 months post-injury was significantly correlated with academic achievement (p < .001); Working memory 12 months post-injury was significantly correlated with academic achievement (p = .001); and Verbal memory 12 months post-injury was significantly correlated with academic achievement (p = .005). The degree of recovery from the post-acute to the chronic assessments predicted academic functioning at the chronic period. Conclusion: Longitudinal studies on TBI and academic achievement with distinct time points are necessary to understand the course of the reparative processes following a brain injury in childhood. This allows us to test specific hypotheses about the nature and course of cognitive functioning and the influences it can have on academics to help guide the future development of targeted therapeutic services.