ABSTRACT
The question of whether there is greater sparing of function following focal brain damage early in life than later in life has long been a topic of interest in the human neuropsychology literature. Much of this research has focused on the effects of age at lesion on subsequent functioning (e.g., Annett, 1973; Lenneberg, 1967; Woods & Carey, 1979; Woods & Teuber, 1973, 1978a, 1978b). However, most studies have assessed the effects of lesions on cognitive functioning at only a single point in time, providing only a snapshot of the consequences of the brain damage. This is particularly problematic when the damage is superimposed on a developing brain. Indeed, animal studies have clearly shown that the degree, and even the nature of deficits may change over the course of development (e.g., Goldman, 1971, 1974; Goldman-Rakic, Isseroff, Schwartz, & Bugbee, 1983; Rosenzweig, Bennett, & Alberti, 1984). Thus, the effects of brain damage on subsequent functioning appear to depend not only on developmental status at the time of the lesion, but also on developmental status at the time of testing. In this chapter we focus on delineating changes in intellectual functioning over time in children with infantile hemiplegia. This focus was chosen both because of the importance of longitudinal information in addressing the question of whether there is greater functional sparing after brain damage early in life and because this issue has received relatively little attention in the human neuropsychology literature.
