Title : Understanding pediatric traumatic brain injury across the childhood lifespan

Background:  As a result of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) during childhood, changes in health, thinking, family environment, and behavior affect learning, self-regulation, and social participation, which are critical skills to optimize functioning in adulthood. TBI affects children differently than adults because of impact on brain development during key periods that may alter development trajectories over time. A TBI during childhood is associated with several  health conditions, including epilepsy, headache/migraine, autonomic disturbances, intellectual disability, vision problems, speech and language problems and behavior and mental health problems. This presentation will present  research describing the effects of TBI during childhood and  effects of childhood TBI during the transition to adulthood.

Methods: The presentation will present research about childhood TBI across the age span including young children, school aged children and young adults. Implications for taking care of children and future research will be described.

Results: Evidence suggests that TBI sustained during childhood is associated with long-term issues, including potential development of aging-related and neurodegenerative disease, that have a profound effect on children’s ability to become productive adults and strain our healthcare system and society. What is currently known about TBI in children aligns with the WHO definition of a chronic health disease. Documentation of unmet needs for services both in the healthcare setting and school further supports the significant and ongoing burden of TBI well beyond the initial injury

Conclusion: In conclusion, TBIs are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Behavioral, cognitive, medical, and pain-related sequelae across the lifespan after TBI can persist. Although long-term studies of children are limited, emerging research demonstrates that TBI effects can persist throughout childhood and span into adulthood. 

Juliet has over 40 years of experience and multiple publications in TBI.  She is Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine. Her original work started with a book titled, Head Injury Rehabilitation: Children and Adolescents. At Children’s Healthcare, she was principal investigator of a federal longitudinal study about preschool children and a pilot study to investigate transition to adulthood in adolescents with TBI. Recently she was Senior Health Scientist on the Traumatic Brain Injury Team, Division of Injury Prevention, CDC. She received the 2025 Moody Foundation award for her research and practice in TBI.