Concussions don’t impact children’s IQ: UCalgary study
Posted Jul 17, 2023 12:47 pm.
Last Updated Jul 17, 2023 12:48 pm.
A new study out of the University of Calgary says concussions don’t affect a child’s IQ.
Dr. Keith Yeates, a neuropsychologist at the school, says younger patients are routinely given IQ tests after suffering a concussion.
“People are really worried about concussions so it is nice to be able to give parents some good news — in that, there doesn’t seem to be a change in their kids’ IQ or intelligence as a result of these injuries,” Yeates explained.
He says these results should be a reassurance for many parents.
“They actually do show some slowing in their processing speed, but it didn’t affect their IQ, even when many of them were still struggling,” Yeates said.
The research was published in the Medical Journal of Pediatrics, and looked at emergency room visits by young people between the ages of eight and 16.
The childhood brain disorders expert explains tests were done on some patients immediately after the injury and others three months later and the findings were the same.
Yeates says that a concussion is different than a severe or moderate traumatic brain injury — which can lower someone’s IQ.
