Deep phenotyping of socio-emotional skills in children with typical development, neurodevelopmental disorders, and mental health conditions: Evidence from the PEERS.

Objective: Socio-emotional skills, including social competence and social cognition, form the basis for robust relationships and wellbeing. Despite their importance, these skills are poorly defined and measured, particularly in children with developmental vulnerabilities. As a consequence, targets for effective management and treatment remain unclear.

Rehabilitation models of care for children and youth with traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries: A focus on service structure, service organization, and the barriers and facilitators of rehabilitation service provision.

To understand the systems underlying current rehabilitation models of care used with children and youth (0-21years) who sustain traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries. This study gathered qualitative data on service structures, service organization, and the barriers and facilitators of service provision in selected medical rehabilitation service(s) (MRS) and community-based rehabilitation service(s) (CBRS). Informants from 11 rehabilitation services were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide.

Self-perception and behavioural outcomes of early acquired brain injury.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) occurs commonly in young children. Despite this, the psychosocial implications of ABI in young children are not established, with little understood about the impacts on self-perception and self-esteem. In this study we investigated self-perception, self-esteem and behaviour of children with early ABI.

Fatigue Following Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Background And Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of multidimensional fatigue symptoms 5 years after pediatric arterial ischemic stroke and identify factors associated with fatigue.

Methods: Thirty-one children (19 males) with pediatric arterial ischemic stroke, participating in a larger prospective, longitudinal study, were recruited to this study at 5 years poststroke. Parent- and self-rated PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale scores were compared with published normative data.

Social Cognitive Dysfunction Following Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Evidence From a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background And Purpose: Childhood and adolescence coincide with rapid maturation of distributed brain networks supporting social cognition; however, little is known about the impact of early ischemic brain insult on the acquisition of these skills. This study aimed to examine the influence of arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) on facial emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM) abilities of children and adolescents initially recruited to a single-center, prospective longitudinal study of recovery following AIS.

Methods: The study involved 67 participants, including 30 children with AIS (mean time since stroke=5 years) and 37 age-matched typically developing controls who were assessed on measures of cognitive ToM, facial emotion recognition, and affective ToM.

Predictors of participation and quality of life following major traumatic injuries in childhood: a systematic review.

Objective: Review the literature on predictors of participation and quality of life in children and young people who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), and/or multi-trauma in a motor vehicle or other accident or trauma.

Design: This systematic review was conducted and reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020131698).

Rehabilitation models of care for children and youth living with traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries: A focus on family-centred care, psychosocial wellbeing, and transitions.

To describe current rehabilitation models of care and programmes, in Australia and internationally, related to family-centred care, psychosocial support, and transitions used for children and youth who have sustained major traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries. Fourteen services were interviewed, including eight medical rehabilitation services, three community-based rehabilitation services, two insurance services, and one state-wide education service provider. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis in NVivo.

Interleukin-8 Predicts Fatigue at 12 Months Post-Injury in Children with Traumatic Brain Injury.

Despite many children experiencing fatigue after childhood brain injury, little is known about the predictors of this complaint. To date, traditional indices of traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity have not predicted reliably persisting fatigue (up to three years post-injury). This study aimed to establish whether persisting fatigue is predicted by serum biomarker concentrations in child TBI.

Cognitive resilience following paediatric stroke: Biological and environmental predictors.

Little is known about resilience after paediatric stroke (PS), or the factors that contribute to better outcomes. Rather, research emphasis has been on impairment, measured through cross-sectional or retrospective designs, often heavily weighted to children presenting for clinical or rehabilitation follow-up. Implementing a resilience framework, this study aimed to investigate cognitive recovery post-stroke and factors that contribute to cognitive resilience at 12 months following PS.

Characterisation of serum total tau following paediatric traumatic brain injury: a case-control study.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem in children. Blood-based biomarkers interpreted by use of normative values might improve the accuracy of diagnosis. Ultrasensitive assays can quantify serum concentrations of the neuronal microtubule-associated protein tau, which is increased in adult brains following TBI.

Motor function daily living skills 5 years after paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke: a prospective longitudinal study.

Aim: To describe 5-year motor and functional outcomes after paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) and to explore factors associated with poorer long-term outcome.

Method: Thirty-three children (21 males, 12 females) with AIS were recruited to a single-site, cross-sectional study, from a previously reported prospective longitudinal stroke outcome study. Children were stratified according to age at diagnosis: neonates (≤30d), preschool (>30d-5y), and school age (≥5y).

Social functioning following pediatric stroke: contribution of neurobehavioral impairment.

Pediatric stroke can result in long-term neurobehavioral impairments including cognitive, language, and motor deficits, all of which may disrupt the normal development of social skills. This study aimed to examine specific components of social function at 5-year poststroke at a group and individual level and explore the contribution of neurobehavioral impairment. Thirty-one children with arterial ischemic stroke participated in the study.

Protocol for a prospective, school-based standardisation study of a digital social skills assessment tool for children: The Paediatric Evaluation of Emotions, Relationships, and Socialisation (PEERS) study.

Background: Humans are by nature a social species, with much of human experience spent in social interaction. Unsurprisingly, social functioning is crucial to well-being and quality of life across the lifespan. While early intervention for social problems appears promising, our ability to identify the specific impairments underlying their social problems (eg, social communication) is restricted by a dearth of accurate, ecologically valid and comprehensive child-direct assessment tools.

The Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure: A predictor of outcome following arterial ischemic stroke.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between neurologic outcome at 1 month following diagnosis of pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) and motor and adaptive behavior outcomes at 12 months.

Methods: This prospective longitudinal observational cohort study recruited children from a single tertiary children's hospital diagnosed with first AIS between December 2007 and November 2013. Neurologic impairment was evaluated at 4 time points using the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure (PSOM) or Recovery and Recurrence Questionnaire following diagnosis of AIS (acute, 1, 6, and 12 months).

Predicting Fatigue 12 Months after Child Traumatic Brain Injury: Child Factors and Postinjury Symptoms.

Objectives: Fatigue is a common and persisting symptom after childhood brain injury. This study examined whether child characteristics and symptomatology preinjury or 6 months postinjury (pain, sleep, and mood, inattention) predicted fatigue at 12months postinjury.

Methods: Parents of 79 children (0-18 years) rated fatigue at 12 months after injury on a multidimensional scale (general, sleep/rest, and cognitive).

Fatigue Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Adolescents: A Longitudinal Follow-Up 6 to 12 Months After Injury.

Background: Longitudinal fatigue data in children suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) are lacking.

Objectives: To examine the effects of time postinjury (6-12 months) and injury severity on fatigue after childhood TBI. Secondarily, we compared fatigue 12 months postinjury against published control data.

Early predictors of psychosocial functioning 5 years after paediatric stroke.

Aim: Little is known about psychological and social outcomes after paediatric stroke. This study aimed to evaluate psychosocial outcomes in children 5 years after paediatric stroke and explore the contribution of early presenting factors.

Method: Thirty-one children (19 males, 12 females) with arterial ischemic stroke were involved in this prospective, longitudinal study.

Trajectories of Motor Recovery in the First Year After Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Neuromotor impairments are common after pediatric stroke, but little is known about functional motor outcomes. We evaluated motor function and how it changed over the first 12 months after diagnosis. We also examined differences in outcome according to age at diagnosis and whether fine motor (FM) or gross motor (GM) function at 12 months was associated with adaptive behavior.

Profiles of Executive Function Across Children with Distinct Brain Disorders: Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, and Brain Tumor.

Objectives: This study examined whether children with distinct brain disorders show different profiles of strengths and weaknesses in executive functions, and differ from children without brain disorder.

Methods: Participants were children with traumatic brain injury (N=82; 8-13 years of age), arterial ischemic stroke (N=36; 6-16 years of age), and brain tumor (N=74; 9-18 years of age), each with a corresponding matched comparison group consisting of children with orthopedic injury (N=61), asthma (N=15), and classmates without medical illness (N=68), respectively. Shifting, inhibition, and working memory were assessed, respectively, using three Test of Everyday Attention: Children's Version (TEA-Ch) subtests: Creature Counting, Walk-Don't-Walk, and Code Transmission.

Improving cognitive outcomes for pediatric stroke.

Purpose Of Review: The past 20 years have seen a 35% increase in prevalence of pediatric stroke. Contrary to widely held views, children do not recover better than adults. This review explores the impact of pediatric stroke on cognitive domains, including intellectual and executive functions, memory and behavior, and the influence of age, lesion characteristics, and comorbidities on outcome.

Psychosocial function in the first year after childhood stroke.

Aim: Childhood stroke disrupts brain development and emerging neural networks. Motor, cognitive, and language deficits are well recognized, yet little is known about psychosocial function after childhood stroke. This study aims to describe psychosocial function within the first year after childhood stroke, and to identify factors associated with outcome.

Prediction of Multidimensional Fatigue After Childhood Brain Injury.

Objectives: To determine (1) the presence of fatigue symptoms and predictors of fatigue after childhood brain injury and examine (2) the feasibility, reliability, and validity of a multidimensional fatigue measure (PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale [MFS]) obtained from parent and child perspectives.

Setting: Emergency and intensive care units of a hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Participants: Thirty-five families (34 parent-proxies and 32 children) aged 8 to 18 years (mean child age = 13.

Environmental Contributions to Social and Mental Health Outcomes Following Pediatric Stroke.

Mental health and social outcomes following acquired brain injury (ABI) in children are often considered to be due to brain insult, but other factors, such as environment, may also play a role. We assessed mental health and social function in children with chronic illness, with and without stroke (a form of ABI), and typically developing (TD) controls to examine environmental influences on these outcomes. We recruited 36 children diagnosed with stroke, 15 with chronic asthma, and 43 TD controls.