The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Early childhood (< 3 years of age) is a critical period for neurodevelopment. This study investigated the correlation between early childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and developmental delay (DD) by analyzing a national-scale cohort. ⋯ Data from this study suggest that the incidence of ADHD, ASD, and DD significantly increased after TBI events in early childhood (< 3 years of age). The risk factors include severe TBI, repeated TBI events, and TBI at a younger age. The long-term follow-up demonstrated an increased cumulative risk of ADHD, ASD, and DD after TBI.