Little is known about specific attentional sequelae
following a closed head injury, their pattern of recovery
or their interaction with ongoing development. The present
study examined attentional abilities in a group of children
who had sustained a mild, moderate, or severe head injury.
Results showed that the severe head injury group exhibited
greater deficits on a number of attentional measures at
acute and 6 months postinjury phases, in comparison to
children in the mild and moderate head injury groups. Specifically,
deficits were most evident on timed tasks where speed of
processing was an integral component. Difficulties persisted
to at least 6 months postinjury and so may lead to cumulative
deficits over time. (JINS, 1999, 5, 48–57.)