Language and cognitive development of children with focal brain lesion. A scoping review

Background & AimsA Focal Brain Lesion (FBL) is a brain injury within a restricted area of brain tissue that can be caused by any pathology affecting the brain. The aim of this study is to review current evidence on language and cognitive development of children with FBL after a stroke, by conducting a thorough analysis and critical evaluation of related studies.Methods & ProceduresThe procedure of a scoping review, as proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005), was performed. A literature search was carried out by investigating large and well-established data-bases for academic articles published in English. Specifically, we conducted a database search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus regarding language and cognitive development of children with FBL.Outcome & ResultsFollowing exclusion with reasons, 62 studies meeting the inclusion criteria for this scoping review were analysed, all leading to heterogeneous results. According to the analysis performed, children with FBL may acquire the necessary language structures compared to their age-matched peers and display similar performance in independent linguistic tasks, but tend to underperform in more complex ones. Cognitive delays in various domains are also possible, including intelligence, working memory, symbolic play, and executive functioning.ConclusionsThere is still mixed evidence regarding language and cognitive recovery based onseveral neurological factors. Further research is needed in order to assess the underlying factors affecting language and cognitive development in children with FBL, given the relatively limited and inconclusive evidence.