Primary objective: The purpose of this investigation was to examine children's accuracy and speed when asked to name rapidly images following a concussion. The authors predicted that children with a recent concussion would not differ in accuracy from peers, but would be slower.
Research design: Children with and without a recent concussion were compared on their accuracy and speed of naming objects, and speed was correlated with time since injury.
Methods and procedures: Fifty-eight participants, aged 10-22 years, 32 within one month of concussion and 26 age-matched participants with no history of concussion, rapidly viewed and verbally named 107 illustrations of common objects, and sensitive measures of response time were recorded.
Main outcomes and results: Groups did not differ in rate of accuracy, but children with recent injury responded significantly more slowly. A trajectory of recovery was calculated, providing qualified evidence for a longer timeline of recovery than the typical two-week period.
Conclusions: These findings affirm the presence of this naming latency effect in children, explore the duration of this effect over the course of recovery, and add nuance to inconsistently reported chronic naming deficits following concussion, informing recommendations for return to full academic and recreational participation.
Keywords: Brain injury; language.