Playfulness in children with traumatic brain injury: a preliminary study

The sequelae of paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) are well documented as being permanent and pervasive. The impact, however, on how a child approaches the childhood occupation of play, termed 'playfulness,' has been neglected. This prospective analysis of difference study used the Test of Playfulness to compare the playfulness of eight children aged 3-13 years diagnosed with moderate to severe TBI to an age-matched control group. Using Rasch analysis, the TBI group did demonstrate the behaviour of playfulness, but to a significantly lower extent than the control group (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks (T(8) = 0, p = .012). The findings suggest that playfulness is negatively impacted by TBI, and that strategies to legitimise and optimise playfulness be incorporated into therapy practice for this population.