A clinically focused systematic review of social communication in pediatric TBI

Social communication is a persistent area of need after pediatric traumatic brain injury; however, it continues to be misunderstood, under-recognized, and under-treated. Clinicians must have a working understanding of current evidence and practice recommendations to support practice.

1) To analyze recent evidence in social communication published in the last ten years, which is specific to pediatric TBI and 2) To translate these findings for clinicians.

A systematic literature review was conducted. Ninety-five articles met criteria for full analysis. For analysis, articles were grouped according five themes: 1) Theoretical/Review; 2) Etiology/Characteristics; 3) Recovery/Outcome; 4) Assessment; or 5) Intervention. Article findings were then extracted, translated, and summarized.

The majority of articles focused on describing characteristics of social communication deficits after pediatric TBI, documenting recovery, and identifying factors that contribute to outcome. Research on the relationship of development, age at injury, injury severity, and environmental factors with social communication outcomes requires additional attention. Research in assessment and treatment is critically sparse.

The results of this review highlight both the progress that has been made in understanding the phenomena of social communication deficits in pediatric TBI and the critical need for basic and translational research in assessment and intervention.