%0 Journal Article
%T A history of low birth weight alters recovery following a future head injury: a case series.
%A Schmidt AT
%A Li X
%A Zhang-Rutledge K
%A Hanten GR
%A Levin HS
%J Child Neuropsychol
%V 20
%N 5
%D 2014
%M 23961997
%F 2.597
%R 10.1080/09297049.2013.822059
%X OBJECTIVE: Low birth weight (LBW; below 2500 grams) is a general risk factor for a variety of neurodevelopmental difficulties. However, these children may remain more vulnerable to neurologic and environmental insults occurring years later. This prospective case series reports on children who sustained a mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in middle childhood but who had also been born with birth weights below 2500 grams.
METHODS: PARTICIPANTS were 14 children with mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), 5 of whom had birth weights under 2500 grams (LBW) and 9 children with normal birth weight (NBW). All participants were drawn from a larger study on the long-term cognitive and behavioral impact of pediatric TBI and were matched on age, estimated socioeconomic status (SES), and severity of TBI (with NBW children actually having a slightly worse overall injury severity).
RESULTS: At baseline, both groups exhibited similar scores on WJ-R Letter Word Identification and Calculations, Tower of London number solved, and CVLT-C total correct. Baseline group differences were observed on the CELF-III Formulated Sentences (NBW > LBW) and on the VABS Adaptive Behavior Composite and Socialization subdomain (LBW > NBW). Over 2 years, relative to the NBW group, the LBW group evidenced declines on both WJ-R subtests, CVLT-C total correct, CELF-III Formulated Sentences, and VABS Adaptive Behavior Composite and Socialization.
CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary in nature due to small sample size, findings suggest a history of LBW influences the recovery trajectory following childhood TBI. Academic and adaptive functioning and verbal memory appeared particularly affected.