A comparison of concussive symptoms reported by parents for preschool versus school-aged children

Objective: To compare parental report of symptoms of concussion for children with superficial head injury versus children with a diagnosis of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Setting: Urban hospital emergency department. Participants: Parents of 159 children aged 2 to 12 years who presented with an injury to the head. Procedure: Parents were contacted within 1 week of injury and assigned into 3 groups according to their child s age and medical diagnosis (group 1, parents of 2-to 5-year-olds with mTBI (n = 39); group 2, parents of 6-to 12-year-olds with mTBI (n = 41); and group 3, parents of 2-to 12-year-olds with superficial injury to the head (n = 35). Results: Symptoms of concussion were reported in all groups; however, significantly fewer symptoms were reported for children with superficial injuries to the head than for children with mTBI (M = 2.51 vs M = 6.91; P