Child and adolescent traumatic brain injury: correlates of injury severity.

A record review focused on children and adolescents, with a history of traumatic brain injury, who were consecutively admitted to a brain injury clinic in which all new patients are psychiatrically evaluated. Significant correlates of severity of injury in the cognitive, education and communication domains of functioning included Performance IQ but not Verbal IQ nor standardized ratings of language or learning disability. Current organic personality syndrome (OPS) but not attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder diagnostic status was significantly related to severity. In conclusion, the findings in this referred sample are similar to prospective studies indicating that Performance IQ appears sensitive in reflecting brain damage. The finding linking OPS to severity of injury is not surprising. This is because OPS is a diagnosis which is dependent on the clinician's judgment of the likelihood that the organic factor is etiologically related to a defined behavioural syndrome. The diagnosis therefore requires a clinical judgment that the threshold of severity of a presumed organic etiological factor has been reached.