Brain Injuries

What are Brain Injuries?

Some children acquire damage to their brains over the course of childhood due to a car accident, severe fall, or other serious event. The term Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is used to describe a sudden trauma to the head, such as when the head violently hits an object or an object breaks the skull and enters brain tissue. Symptoms of a TBI can range from mild to severe and can include loss of consciousness, headache, confusion, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, blurry vision, ringing in the ears, feeling more tired than usual, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. When an injury is more severe, vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation can occur. Medical attention and neurological evaluation is critical for anyone who has experienced a TBI. Treatments for TBI can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, and psychology/psychiatry.

Brain Injuries Doctors and Providers

Resources

More information is available through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.