Academic Skills After Brain Injury: A Lifespan Perspective

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated academic skills outcomes after brain injury and identified the influence of age and injury factors across the lifespan. Method: Our sample included 651 participants with focal brain lesions. Math, reading, and spelling data from the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) were used as the academic skills outcomes. Age of lesion onset ranged from 0 to 85 years old. Linear regressions were conducted to identify the relation between age and injury factors and academic skills outcomes. Lesionsymptom mapping was conducted to identify the brain areas that, when lesioned, were associated with deficits in academic skills. Results:A quadratic model of age of lesion onset significantly predicted math (R2 =.28, p