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Brain Injury Can Haunt Children For Years With Variety Of Functional Problems

Link: Study  Children who suffer traumatic brain injuries can experience lasting or late-appearing neuropsychological problems, highlighting the need for careful watching over time, according to two studies published by the American Psychological Association.

Website Provides Services and Support for Persons with Brain Injury

Link: The Brain Spot This site was developed as part of a grant project titled, "Services and Support for Persons with Brain Injury" implemented by the Department of Recreation Leisure Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is designed to be accessible for persons who have varying abilities for processing written and visual content. The Brain Spot includes a discussion board, email, e-cards, games, community resources, individual profile web pages, support group links, and a listing of other websites that may be of related interest.

brainline.org: Traumatic Brain Injury: Susan's Story

Link: brainline.org
Susan was 7 years old when she was hit by a car while riding her bike. She broke her arm and leg. She also hit her head very hard. The doctors say she sustained a traumatic brain injury. When she came home from the hospital, she needed lots of help, but now she looks fine.

brainline.org: Preventing, Treating, and Living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Link: brainline.org
BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury.

cdc.gov: Free CDC Tool Kit on Concussion for High School Coaches!

Link:cdc.gov
Concussions can happen to any athlete—male or female—in any sport. Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a blow or jolt to the head that can range from mild to severe and can disrupt the way the brain normally works. Coaches, athletic directors and trainers play a key role in helping to prevent concussion and in managing it properly if it occurs.

Epsom Salts May Halve Cerebral Palsy Rates of Premature Babies

Link: Epsom Salts

Less than 2% of premature babies born to pregnant women treated with magnesium sulfate developed cerebral palsy compared with the normal 3.5% in a study of 2,241 women who began labor at least six weeks early. "This is a real breakthrough," said co-author John Thorp. "These are children who have their whole lives in front of them." Brain damage sustained during early births causes one in three cases of cerebral palsy.

Outpatient Program Helps Youths with Cerebral Palsy, Brain Injuries

Link: Program

Under a sultry summer sun, a miniature golf course can test anyone's patience, but for the children who played at ParTee Golf in Perry Hall yesterday, sinking a putt marked a particular challenge. Some of them maneuvered walkers around the bridges and fountains of the course; others rolled along the greens in motorized wheelchairs. Some of the children, who are taking part in a program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, were born with cerebral palsy, and others had suffered head injuries in accidents.

BillingsGazette.com: Instant changed Cody photographer's life

Link: The Billings Gazette

DENVER - In the time it takes to snap a photo, life can change in unforeseen and unimaginable ways.

Model is now on his toughest assignment yet: recovering from a traumatic brain injury caused by an apparently random act of violence last June. That's when he was hit by a chunk of concrete that smashed through the windshield of a car he was in while vacationing in Cape Town, South Africa. Doctors said his chances of survival were remote.

CDC Launches "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury" Initiative

Link: Prevent Brain Injury
Millions of people in this country provide care for an older adult—a parent, grandparent, other family member, professional caregiver, or a close friend. For most caregivers, the older adult’s health is the overriding concern. One way to help older adults live, better lives and stay independent is by learning about traumatic brain injury, or TBI and how to prevent it.
“Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” is a CDC initiative to raise awareness among children and other caregivers of older adults about ways to prevent, recognize, and respond to TBI in adults 75 and older.

Traumatic Brain Injury Accommodations: Individual Process Essential to Solution

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
JAN E-News Volume 6, Issue 1, First Quarter, 2008
-Laura K. Artman, MS, CRC, JAN Graduate Research Assistant
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/ENews/2008/Enews-V6-I1.htm#5

According to the Brain Injury Association (2005), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be caused by a hard hit or jolting impact to the head (closed head injury) or by a penetrating object, such as a bullet (open head injury). Specific statistics of interest include:

* Although not all insults to the head result in a TBI, approximately 1.4 million people experience a TBI every year;
* The majority of individuals affected by TBIs, 79%, receives medical attention and is subsequently discharged from the emergency department;
* Seventeen percent of individuals with TBIs are hospitalized for further treatment and rehabilitation, while the remaining four percent (about 50,000) do not survive;
* The most common causes of TBI include falls, motor vehicle accidents, motor vehicle/pedestrian accidents, and assaults;
* Children from birth to age four and adolescents aged 15-19 are most at risk, with males being more likely than females to sustain a TBI;
* African Americans suffer more deaths from TBI than any other group; and
* Military personnel frequently experience TBI from blast injuries inflicted by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's) (Brain Injury Association, 2005).

Depending on the severity of the injury, a TBI survivor may not have any limitations, while another may struggle with daily living. Even if two people have the same type of brain injury, their outcomes may differ based on physical health and cognitive ability prior to the injury, the quality and duration of rehabilitation services, and family support.

Specific limitations hinge on what part of the brain was damaged by the injury, and any bodily system may be impaired as a result. Some survivors may have impairments related to gross motor limitations (walking, balancing, coordination); fine motor limitations (handling, fingering); sensory limitations (seeing, hearing); bowel and bladder control; handling stress and emotions; and speech impairments. Cognitive limitations may involve difficulty with memory, problem solving, math, reading, or executive functions, such as planning/organizing/prioritizing/decision-making. In some cases, because the parts of the brain that process auditory and visual information were damaged in a TBI, a person may have trouble comprehending what is seen or heard despite intact vision and hearing.

Accommodations for employees with TBI depend on the nature of their limitations, what bodily systems are affected, and essential job functions. Suggestions for accommodating cognitive deficits, psychological issues, motor impairments, sensory deficits, and speech difficulties due to TBI can be accessed at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/brai.htm or by using the Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/.

References:
Brain Injury Association. (2005, August). Facts about traumatic brain injury. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from
http://www.biausa.org/elements/aboutbi/factsheets/factsaboutBI.8.29.05.pdf