• Accomplishments
• Contact

• Research
• Spinal Cord Injury Projects
• Traumatic Brain Injury Projects
  • Assessment & Intervention for Mild TBI
  • Can Eye Movements Predict Persistent Problems in Paediatric Mild TBI?
  • Cognitive and Neural Substrates of Socially Maladaptive Behaviours in Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury
  • DECRA Trial (DECompressive CRAniectomy Trial)
  • Enhancing Neurogenesis Post -TBI
  • Fluid Resuscitation in TBI
  • Headstart: Multi-family Groups for Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Hypothermia in Childhood TBI (HiTBIC)
  • Improving the functional communication ability of adults with TBI
  • Long term consequences of childhood head injury - 15 year follow-up
  • Longitudinal Hippocampal Study
  • Measuring the Impact of TBI on People's Lives
  • Mobility Following Childhood TBI
  • New Treatments for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Neural Basis of Communication Disorder in Children
  • Neurotrauma Tissue/Fluid Bank
  • Normoglycaemia in Intensive Care Traumatic Brain Injury Study (NICE-TBI)
  • Preventing Neuronal Cell Death Following Brain Trauma
  • Prevention and Treatment of Social Problems Following TBI
  • Rehabilitation of Attention Following TBI
  • Role of Tissue Type Plasminogen Activator
  • TBI in Older Adults
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Treatment in Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Traumatic Hypoxia and Cerebral Inflammation
  • Virtual Reality and Upper Limb Function Following TBI in Children
• Targeted Initiatives
• Completed TBI and SCI Projects
• Program Grants

The Neural Basis of Communication Disorder in Children

Identifying Brain Damage Underlying Speech Deficits in Children Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A New Model of Diagnosis and Prognosis

Chief Investigator: Dr Angela Morgan
Other Chief Investigators: Prof Alan Connelly, Dr Frederique Liegeois,
Associate Investigators: Prof Vicki Anderson, Prof Sheena Riley, A/Prof Michael Ditchfield, Dr Jacques- Donald Tournier
Lead Organisation: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
VNI Funding: $292,279
Project Start Date: 01-Apr-08

Project Summary:
Two out of three children have a communication disorder following traumatic brain injury (TBI). This can lead to life-long negative effects on educational and social attainment. The associations between specific speech problems and damage to particular brain regions are not understood in children with TBI. As there is no current model designed specifically for children with TBI, clinicians have been forced to use an adult model. The application of adult models to children is inappropriate. Children have different speech outcomes to adults even after similar brain injuries. As a result, use of the adult model for diagnosis and treatment may have a deleterious effect on a child’s outcome. For similar reasons, speech prognosis is also poorly understood in children with TBI. We cannot determine who will have persistent or recovered speech disorder. Similarly, it is difficult to make decisions in regards to who should be prioritised for treatment. If we could identify and prioritise children at risk for developing long-term speech impairment this would dramatically improve outcomes and maximise the use of clinical resources.

This study will combine state-of-the-art neuroimaging and quantitative speech data in children with and without speech disorder following TBI. This study aims to determine the association between regions of brain damage and speech disorders following TBI. This study also aims to identify the regions of brain damage associated with persistent and recovered speech and to develop a world first diagnostic system for children with a speech disorder following TBI. This ground breaking study will directly influence the care of children with TBI. The development of a world first speech diagnostic system. tailored specifically for children with TBI, will lead to earlier and more specific detection of speech disorders. This will also enable the development of more appropriate, targeted intervention programs. This study will provide clinicians with a stronger evidence base for determining which children will be best suited for specific speech treatments.