Predicting premorbid neuropsychological functioning following pediatric traumatic brain injury

This study examined the prediction of premorbid neuropsychological functioning using data from an ongoing prospective study of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children ages 6 to 12 years. Prediction equations were derived based on 80 children with orthopedic injuries (OI), who served as a comparison group for the children with TBI. Collectively, parent ratings of premorbid school performance, maternal ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and children's word recognition skill predicted from 13% to 45% of the variance in three measures of neuropsychological functioning. The regression equations were used to compute predicted scores among 109 children with TBI. Actual scores fell significantly below predicted scores among children with TBI, and the magnitude of the deficits was correlated with injury severity. Premorbid neuropsychological functioning can be predicted in children with TBI, but with less precision than would be desirable for clinical purposes.