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Jean Lengenfelder, PhD, of the Kessler Foundation, received a two-year grant of $ 168,001 from the New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research to study the impact of head trauma (TBI) on children’s ability to treat so reliable the emotions of others.
Children with TBI often struggle with social interactions and relationships, even years after their injury. Difficulty in emotional processing can contribute to these social problems. Specifically, the difficulty in correctly identifying emotions from facial expressions can have significant negative impacts on social interactions, mood and quality of life.
While there has been a lot of research on emotional processing issues in adults with TBI, much less has been done in children with TBI who have these deficits. The development and application of treatments to improve emotional processing are essential to improve the functioning of these children at home, at school and, eventually, in the workplace. “
Dr Jean Lengenfelder, Deputy Director, Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation
Dr Lengenfelder’s pilot study is based on an existing 12-session treatment used to teach adults with TBI to correctly recognize facial expressions of different emotions. The research team will adapt this treatment to the pediatric population and test its effectiveness in improving emotional processing deficits in recovering children.
The Kessler Foundation carries out research on pediatric rehabilitation in partnership with the specialized children’s hospital.
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