Study shows younger children experience persistent symptoms following concussion

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – When most people think of concussion, the first type of patient that  comes to mind is a youth athlete. However, concussion is also common in early childhood, largely  due to kids’ naturally exploratory behavior as they experience and learn their world. A new study  from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital finds that while a toddler’s concussion  experience is often different than an older child’s, symptoms can last just as long. 

The study, published today in Pediatrics, examined patients ages 6 months to 6 years, and found that  similar to older children and adults, about one fourth of children younger than six years of age who  experience a concussion will develop prolonged symptoms, which can affect learning and behavior later in childhood. 

“Because of their size differences and weaker muscles, young children are more likely to sustain a  brain injury,” said Sean Rose, MD, lead author of the study, pediatric neurologist and co-director of  the Complex Concussion Clinic at Nationwide Children’s. “This study helps emphasize that younger  children with a head injury should be appropriately evaluated to determine if treatments or other  services are needed.” 

Younger children sustain concussion mostly due to falls, as opposed to older children who are more  often injured in a sport setting. Because of their inability to report their own symptoms, traditional  concussion symptom scales can fail to detect them. Post-concussion symptoms can include  behavioral changes, excessive irritability, appetite changes, decreased social engagement,  stomachaches and increased dependence/clinginess. 

In school-aged children and adults with concussion, symptoms that last longer than one month are  considered Persisting Symptoms after Concussion (PSaC). This study adds – for the first time – knowledge about PSaC in younger children, although more research is needed to determine the  clinical infrastructure needed to assess and care for these children. This paper is part of the larger  Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) Kids’ Outcomes And Long-term Abilities (KOALA)  study, led by Miriam Beauchamp, PhD. 

This study was supported by grants from the Dale Jr. Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health and Research. 

About The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-26 list of “Best Children’s  Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing  pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best  outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs are part of  what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. As home to the Department  of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s faculty train  the next generation of pediatricians, scientists and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research  Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the U.S., supporting basic, clinical, translational,  behavioral and population health research. The AWRI is comprised of multidisciplinary Centers of  Emphasis paired with advanced infrastructure supporting capabilities such as technology  commercialization for discoveries; gene- and cell-based therapies; and genome sequencing and  analysis. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org/Research.