NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DEFICIT AND ACADEMIC-PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOLLOWING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Evaluated the utility of neuropsychological testing in predicting acad emic outcome in children 1 year following traumatic brain injury (TBI) . Fifty-one schoolage children who were admitted to hospital after TBI were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological measures at 3 mont hs postinjury, Academic achievement was assessed at 3 and 12 months po stinjury, The neuropsychological battery included intelligence resting and measures of memory, learning, and speed of information processing . Academic outcome was assessed in terms of post-TBI changes in readin g, spelling, and arithmetic; changes in teacher ratings of school perf ormance; and change in school placement. According to logistic regress ion analysis, change in placement from regular to special education at 1-year post-TBI was predicted by injury severity and by neuropsycholo gical performance cat 3 months post-TBI. Findings suggest that neurops ychological resting is useful in identifying children with special edu cational needs subsequent to TBI.