Child and parent responses to a brain injury screening questionnaire.

Objectives: To determine, by using a Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire (BISQ), in a sample of urban public school students, what proportion of children are at risk for having sustained a brain injury, to measure the incidence of blows to the head and alterations in mental status, and to determine whether children and parents report differently on the BISQ.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Research facility and community.

Participants: A total of 137 urban students (age range, 12-19y) of varied ethnicity, who were recruited in 2 public schools, and their parents.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measure: The BISQ as completed by children and parents.

Results: Fourteen children (10%) were at risk for having sustained a brain injury because they or their parents reported an alteration in mental status and 5 or more symptoms sensitive and specific to traumatic brain injury. Most children were reported to have experienced blows to the head, and 50% were reported to have experienced an alteration in mental status. In all areas, no significant differences were found between parent and child reports.

Conclusions: There may be significant numbers of children with undetected brain injury in schools. The BISQ is a useful tool to identify children at risk for having sustained a brain injury. Histories should be obtained from parents and children who are older than 11 years when screening children for brain injury.