By DR. SELENA SEABROOKS
The Dallas Examiner
“The brain controls everything, so consequently, an injury can affect anything or everything,” said ODPC Manager Blake Agee.
Recently, the Texas Health and Human Services Office of Disability Prevention for Children held a webinar on pediatric brain injury and prevention. Project Manager Jay Smith opened the event by discussing that the organization works to promote respect, foster understanding and highlight the importance of prevention and early intervention initiatives in the lives of Texas children and families. It also works to prevent developmental disabilities, including those that manifest in utero, during birth and in children newborn to 12 years old.
Agee explained what is considered a brain injury and that any group of people could experience one with varying degrees of impairment or effect on the individual’s life. Two people can sustain the same injury in the same area of the brain with the same degree of force and experience different symptoms.
Brain injuries are categorized as mild, moderate or severe, but even mild injuries can significantly impact someone’s functions.
“Your brain is unique to you. Your brain is formed by genetics and experiences. Your unique genetics and your unique experiences shape how your brain functions; therefore, an injury is unique to you,” he said.
Agree moved on to discussing an acquired brain injury, which is an injury to the brain that occurs any time after birth and is unrelated to a congenital or degenerative disease. This type of injury can cause temporary or permanent impairments resulting in physical, emotional and intellectual difficulties.
Traumatic brain injury is a type of acquired brain injury. This type of brain injury is caused by an external force, like a blow or jolt to the head, penetrating head injury or the shaking of a child.
On the other hand, a non-traumatic brain injury is caused by internal events, like a stroke or a tumor. It directly impacts cells throughout the brain and attacks the cellular structure. This type of injury can spread to all areas of the brain.
Causes and symptoms among children
An estimated 145,000 youth in America between the ages of 0 to 19 sustained a TBI, which can cause long-lasting cognitive, physical and or behavioral limitation, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Some of the most common causes of brain injury among children include accidents and child abuse; 50% are falls, 24.8% are sports injuries or being struck by an object, and 6.8% are motor vehicle accidents, where the child is either riding as a passenger or is struck as a pedestrian, the CDC report noted. At times, these causes can compound each other.
“A sports injury that may give you a mild brain injury or concussion may make it more likely for you to have a fall or for a teenager that’s able to drive, may make the decision-making ability decreased, so it may increase the risk of a motor vehicle accident, so they can be interrelated,” Agee explained.
Common causes of non-traumatic brain injury include meningitis, encephalitis, brain tumor, stroke, aneurysm and lack of oxygen to the brain – such as drowning, smoke inhalation, heart defects, carbon monoxide poisoning or severe asthma.
Symptoms of a mild brain injury can include confusion, being easily distracted, staring blankly, delayed answering of questions, slurred speech, extreme emotions, problems with memory and loss of consciousness. Other symptoms can include tiredness, irritability or crankiness, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, lack of interest in favorite toys or activities and loss of balance or unsteady walking.
“A lot of these things can be happening at the same time, so one answer is typically not correct. There’s typically multiple things going on. There’s typically multiple reasons for those things going on, and they do take a little bit to figure out. The basic rule with any brain injury is talk to your medical professional,” stated Agee.
For a moderate or severe brain injury, symptoms may include severe headaches that don’t go away, repeated nausea and vomiting, short-term memory loss, difficulty walking, weakness in one side or area of the body, sweating, pale in color, and seizures or convulsions. Other symptoms may include blood or clear fluid draining from the ears or nose, dilated pupil and coma.
What to expect after a brain injury
Brain injuries affect children differently than adults. An injury of any severity to the developing brain may interrupt a child’s development, limit the ability to participate in school and other activities like sports, and may cause changes in the child’s health, thinking, behavior, learning, self-regulation and social participation.
“When the injury affects a child, it can affect short-term, and it can affect long-term development,” Agee explained.
A child with a possible brain injury should be seen by a health care provider to help speed up recovery. Most children with a mild brain injury or concussion can recover at home following a medical check-up. Those with moderate or severe brain injury may need ongoing care or therapy.
Prevention strategies
Prevention and education are seen as the key to reducing the risk of head injury, as noted by the CDC.
Brain Injury Programs Liaison Kristen Boessling said, for older children, seat belts can reduce the risk of death and severe injury by nearly 50%. This increases to 71-82% for younger children, while booster seats can reduce the risk of serious injury by 45% for children ages 4 to 8.
The use of helmets during sporting activities can also be used to prevent brain injury. A child’s helmet should fit properly and be well maintained, age-appropriate, worn consistently and correctly, and appropriately certified for use.
She also mentioned that keeping hallways and stairs well-lit and clear of clutter can also help to prevent falls. For infants, toddlers and children with certain disabilities, the use of a gate at the top and bottom of stairs, as well as window guards and keeping windows locked and closed when not in use, can also prevent falls in the home.
“We can also talk to our children, if it’s age-appropriate, about different play behaviors. And some play isn’t always going to be physical, but it’s important to know, for our children to learn, when and where it’s appropriate,” Boessling added.
She provided additional tips for prevention, including parents and caregivers becoming educated on the signs and symptoms of brain injury, practicing proper car safety, following water safety rules and putting safeguards in place. In addition, educating youth to understand the risks and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injury and encouraging the use of appropriate protective equipment while engaging in sports and outdoor activities is also helpful.