Pediatric brain injury (TBI)

What is a pediatric brain injury (TBI)?

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.

What are the signs and symptoms of a pediatric brain injury (TBI)?

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

• Trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking

When an injury is more severe, symptoms include:

• 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

Medical attention and neurological evaluation is critical for anyone who has experienced a TBI.

How is a pediatric brain injury (TBI) treated?

Treatments for TBI can include:

• Physical therapy (PT)

• Occupational therapy (OT)

• Speech/language therapy

• Psychology/Psychiatry