According to the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital brain injuries vary in severity and type.

There are four types of injury that may cause trauma to the brain.
Those four include: closed head injuries—when brain tissue impacts the inside of the skull, penetrating injuries—including fractures to the skull, gunshot wounds or entry by a foreign object, resulting in damage, anoxic injuries—occurs when oxygen flow to the brain is reduced and toxic injuries—this happens when the individual is exposed to certain toxic chemicals, which may damage or kill brain cells.

The Children’s Hospital in Boston approaches head injuries:

1. Children with mild to moderate injuries may be seen by the Emergency Department and Trauma Center.
2. If a child has an injury that affects his or her brain and requires more involved care, he or she will be referred to the multidisciplinary Brain Injury Center at the hospital. Clinicians in the following areas are available:
3. Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology, Sports Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. Together, these professionals develop a customized treatment plan to meet the child’s physical, emotional and social needs.

They also reported that in North America there are 200 brain injuries at all levels of severity in every 100,000 people. There are over 1.7 million new cases of brain injury each year(motor vehicle accidents accounting for 60% of the injuries).

More about brain injuries (courtesy of Brain Injury Association of America):

• Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents nationwide.
• The age groups most at risk for brain injury are newborns through age 4 and teens from to 19 years of age.
• Every year, an average of 564,000 children are treated for brain injuries in the Emergency Room.

If your child sustained a brain injury or experienced a neurological illness, he or she may be going through a wide range of medical, physical, cognitive and even behavioral changes.  

Once the level of severity is determined, then proper treatments can be prescribed. With the help of personalized rehabilitative services, a child can get on the road to a recovery and a better life.

Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey is available toll-free at 1-800 669-4323 or go online to www.bianj.org.

Need help? Let us know how we can help. You’re not alone. You may also log online to www.childrensbraininjury.org for more information.

Additional information can also be found at Traumatic Brain Injury, visit www.braininjury.com or call 1-866-882-7246.

For information regarding rehabilitation call the Pediatric Rehab at NYU Langone at 1-888-769-8633.