Do Early-Age Brain Injuries Cause ADHD?: The Real Link Between Child Head Injuries and ADHD

Is pediatric brain injury connected to ADHD?  Recent brain injury and mental health research indicate that the answer is YES.  According to the Organized Wisdom website, young children who sustain head and brain injuries are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) when they reach ages 2 through 10 than children who do not suffer head injuries.  The research indicates, however, that the relationship between child brain injury and ADHD is NOT necessarily that of cause and effect.  Instead, the "common denominator" is in behavior, specifically risk-taking.

British researchers conducted the study in hopes of finding out if a head injury sustained before the age of 2 might lead to a diagnosis of ADHD in the brain-injured child at age 2 or later (the condition cannot be diagnosed until age 2).  The results of the study revealed that children with early-age head injuries did have a 90 percent higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than children in the general population.  However, since children with other injuries (specifically burn or scalding injuries) also had a higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than the general population, no real cause-and-effect relationship could be identified between brain injuries and the behavioral disorder.

According to the researchers, the study revealed that children engaging in risk-taking behavior are more prone to serious injury and developing ADHD than children with more moderate behavior.  Previous research confirms that ADHD children are more accident-prone than those without the condition.

If your child has suffered a head injury or brain injury and you have questions about the link between pediatric brain injury and other conditions, feel free to contact child brain injury lawyer Chris Keane.  Narrowing his practice to representing children only has enabled him to work with the best experts in the field of head and brain injuries, and he will be glad to provide you with free helpful resources, information, or answers to questions during your time of need.

You may contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).