Children and traumatic brain injury
Many children who injure their brains at a young age are able to grow into the injury, but may suffer emotional and behavioral issues later on, such as once they are enrolled in elementary school.
“Health experts say while no two children or their brain injuries are alike, many children struggle with similar emotions and challenges. A child’s ability to cope with or develop ways to deal with these changes will vary depending on several factors,” an article by WVEC in Virginia reads.
Traumatic brain injury(TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the two age groups at greatest risk for TBI are age 0-4 and 15-19.
Among those ages 0 to 19, each year an average of:
- 62,000 children sustain brain injuries requiring hospitalization as a result of motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports injuries, physical abuse and other causes
- 564,000 children are seen in hospital emergency departments for TBI and released.
Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated in:
- 2,685 deaths
- 37,000 hospitalizations
- 435,000 emergency department visits
In its 2004 Report to Congress, Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes falls are the leading cause of TBI for children age 0-4, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.
Approximately 1,300 U.S. children experience severe or fatal brain trauma from child abuse every year.
“The term head injury describes an array of injuries that can happen to the scalp, skull, brain and underlying tissue and blood vessels in a child’s head. Head injuries are also referred to as brain injury, or traumatic brain injury, depending on the extent of the head trauma,” the WVEC article reads. “The risk of head injury is high in adolescents and twice as frequent in males than females.”
Studies also show that more injuries occur during the spring and summer months, which is when children are typically outdoors playing more. Activities such as skating, skateboarding, climbing or riding a bike put children more at risk for a head injury.
“Head injuries are one of the most common causes of disability and death in children, health officials say,” the article reads.
