Skull Fracture During Infancy: A Five-Year Follow Up

A group of 19 children, who had received a skull fracture during infancy, were assessed at least 5 years following injury. The majority of the group (89%) had received a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), with the remaining two (11%) having a moderate injury. The neuropsychological, academic, and psychosocial functioning of the TBI group was compared to that of 20 orthopedic subjects. The two groups were matched on the variables of gender, age, and socio-economic status. The TBI group was impaired on tests of visual attention and memory for faces. The two groups did not differ significantly on measures of language, sensorimotor functions, or visuospatial functioning. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on academic performance, or parent and teacher reports of psychosocial functioning. It is concluded that while there is an absence of deficits in the vast majority of functions, skull fracture in infancy can result in enduring impairment in specific cognitive skills related to the processing of complex nonverbal stimuli.