Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Children Long Term
Leading Cause of Death and Disability in Children
A recent article in Science Daily quotes two studies that researched the long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) affecting children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited traumatic brain injury as the single most common cause of death and disability in children.
In the first study, psychologists found that severe TBI can cause lasting problems with day-to-day functioning, such as their performance at school.
Researchers at Ohio State University Case Western Reserve University and hospitals in Columbus and Cleveland studied 37 children affected with severe TBI, 40 children with moderate TBI, and 44 children with musculoskeletal injury. The children were between the ages of 6 and 12 when they were sustained their injury.
Types of problems associated with TBI
According to Science Daily, they found that the children with severe brain injuries had greater problems with:
- mental processing
- learning
- memory
- behavior
- adaptation
- academics
Those children who were in a coma for prolonged periods of time, had additional serious problems. Although some of the children seemed to recover and returned to the classroom, they later developed significant behavioral problems, according to the article.
Researchers think this is a secondary reaction to the brain injury, or is due to the fact that the family has been adversely affected by the trauma of the injury.
Problems in later years
According to the study, nearly 60% of the severe TBI children had some kind of problems years after the injury, compared to 25% of the control group. And four years after the injury, 40% of children suffering severe TBI and 20% of the control group showed problems. After four years, the number of brain injured children with cognitive problems was twice that of the control group members with problems.
Some researchers speculated that maybe some children are just more mentally resilient.
The results of the study of individual children showed that some children showed no weaknesses from six months to four years after the injury. The article said they thought in previous long-term studies the group averages may have hidden this fact. By studying these children who did recover, researchers might be able to help children recover more fully from traumatic brain injuries.
Recovery process in children
Keith Yeates, PhD, who was co-author of the study said the child’s recovery may be due to a combination of factors:
- the child
- the family
- environmental/cultural factors
- quality of care and treatment of the children after the injury
- genetic differences in the brain’s ability to heal itself
Speaking with a Child Injury Attorney
If your child was severely injured in an accident caused by someone’s negligence or recklessness, you can file a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of your child and seek rightful compensation for your child’s injuries.
Holding the responsible parties accountable for your child’s injuries can bring you and your family a peace of mind, and help secure financial compensation for your child’s altered condition in the long run.
Kiley Law Group located in Andover and Boston, Massachusetts takes time when speaking with you about your case and works with you on a contingent basis so there are NO FEES unless our trained Boston child injury lawyers wins your case.
Call now for a FREE evaluation of your case. Free Consultations.
