Improving the future for children with traumatic brain injury
A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can alter how a person acts, moves, thinks and learns. It is a relatively high-prevalence injury, often affecting younger children and adolescents.
Ongoing studies by the Child Neuropsychology group are investigating the adverse effects of TBI on children and hope to find ways of reducing these effects. The effects of TBI depend on the severity of the damage, and commonly include deficits in general intelligence, attention, memory, planning, problem-solving, social and educational skills.
Initial research has found sustaining a TBI in childhood can lead to long-term impairment of physical, cognitive and behavioural functions. A major finding by the research group was that children injured at a younger age often have a poorer outcome than those injured later in life.
One of the most pressing issues faced by young sufferers of TBI is the onset of long-term social problems and difficulties in learning. A current study is investigating what significant impact damage to the brain imparts on social skills development. The outcomes of this study will help to identify ways rehabilitation can assist recovery and improve overall quality of life for young sufferers of TBI.