Summing Up a 12-Year Study of Early Childhood TBI
Published May 2020 | Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
The Ohio Head Injury Outcomes (OHIO) study was a 12-year investigation of longitudinal outcomes for children aged 3 to 7 years who suffered complicated mild to moderate and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
“This publication synthesizes more than 50 papers reflecting cutting edge findings about influences on recovery following early childhood TBI,” says Shari Wade, PhD, director of research, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine and principle investigator of the study.
The OHIO study allowed investigators to explore the complex interactions between social-environmental influences (such as parenting and discipline practices) and children’s cognitive, social, and emotional recovery. Supported by two R01 NICHD awards, an Ohio EMS grant, and other ancillary awards, the work also allowed investigators to examine the neural substrates of language, attention and working memory in these children. Other work focused on collecting genetic data that could shed further light on ways to improve long-term recovery.
The OHIO study included three follow-up assessments within the first 18 months of injury, another follow-up at 39 months post-injury, and a comprehensive follow-up as children transitioned to middle school, a period of heightened expectation for self-control. Investigators compared outcomes to children who sustained non-TBI orthopedic injuries.
Among only a handful of studies looking at long-term outcomes, the OHIO study was able to assess TBI outcomes on genetics, comorbid characteristics, and parenting—as well as academic outcomes.
Researchers found certain factors, such as positive home environment, largely mitigated the effects of TBI on everyday functioning. These observations led to a trial of a responsive parenting skills intervention now being used at Sick Kids in Toronto to support positive development in children with congenital heart disease and perinatal stroke.
