Behavioral Differences in School Age Children after Perinatal Stroke

Abstract

Little is known about the influence of the right hemisphere (RH) on social and emotional development in children. In order to examine the effect of RH damage on behavioral function, the Personality Inventory for Children was administered to parents of 17 children who had suffered perinatal strokes and 23 control children. Children with focal brain lesions, regardless of hemisphere, had higher T scores (indicating greater abnormality) than controls on scales measuring social competence, emotional behavior, cognitive and academic development. Children with lesions involving the frontal lobe obtained higher T scores than did those with nonfrontal lesions or controls on scales related to cognitive function. The nonfrontal group had higher T scores than those with frontal lesions on measures of social competence and behavior. The data suggest that any focal brain lesion of early onset may predispose one to social and cognitive deficits. The site of the lesion within the hemisphere may be of importance in determining what difficulties the child may experience (i.e., frontal lobe lesions are more likely to result in cognitive deficits, whereas posterior lesions are more likely to be associated with social problems). These findings further suggest that brain localization for cognitive and social skills may be determined very early in development.

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