Central auditory processing and social functioning following brain injury in children.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the percentage of children with central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) and examine the recovery patterns of social functional skills in children with and without CAPD admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following an acquired brain injury (ABI).


METHODS
Retrospective, descriptive.


METHODS
Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine overall differences in social functioning between groups, within groups and interaction effects for the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) Social Functional Skills and Caregiver Assistance scales for 31 children admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following ABI.


RESULTS
Significant overall effects were found in group differences and test occasions, but no significant interaction for either PEDI scale. Both groups showed significant intra-group changes between admission and discharge on both scales.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with and without CAPD recovered social functional skills during inpatient rehabilitation. Children with CAPD were admitted and discharged with lower Social Function scores but demonstrated greater changes. The identification of CAPD during inpatient rehabilitation allows for appropriate discharge recommendations and realistic recovery expectations.
Flood
G M
GM
Department of Speech-Language-Hearing, Franciscan Hospital for Children, and Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Health and Disability Research Institute, Boston University, MA 02135, USA. gflood@fchrc.org
Dumas
H M
HM
Haley
S M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies