Survivors of severe traumatic brain injury in childhood. II. Late residual disability.

36 survivors of very severe traumatic childhood brain injury have been followed for a median period of 48 months after injury. One remains in a vegetative state and 35 have been discharged. 34 regained ambulation, and motor function became essentially normal in 14 of them. Ataxia and movement disorders were as common among the residua as was spasticity. Only one child remained aphasic, but 14 showed dysarthria. Six of the 36 showed major dementia and most of the rest showed very significant new impairment of cognitive and social function. This impairment was greater than expected from changes in the I.Q. Motor and speech function showed prolonged recovery while learning ability and social function did not. The overall degree of recovery seems not much better in these children than in adults.