Study shows younger children experience persistent symptoms following concussion

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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 6 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 or 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.

Source: News Release
Nationwide Children's Hospital
January 23, 2026