While many children and babies with brain injuries may exhibit marked improvement in the short term, the long-term effects of their injury may only start to manifest long after their injury.

In many cases, patients experience problems well into adulthood. As the world around us continues to advance technologically, people experiencing a brain injury in childhood may find themselves falling further and further behind from new mental and social challenges presented.

Recognizing Pediatric Brain Injury as a Developing Disability

An article published by the International Brain Injury Association advises that recognizing these injuries in children as a developing disability will greatly assist with the management of this condition. A child’s brain can mature quickly during the first five years of its life, so brain trauma during this period can be particularly devastating.

Another important factor to consider is that, at the time of the injury, children must draw on their recall of prior skills for recovery. The younger the child is when the injury occurs, the more limited the life experience on which to draw to support recovery. This is especially evident in their abilities in cognition and social interaction. Children often learn to compensate for their shortcomings in ways that are not always appropriate or socially acceptable.

Evidence is also presented that children experience a stall in their recovery. While many may show encouraging improvement in the first year after injury, they then appear to reach a plateau. This is the point at which intervention may become necessary to improve the long term outlook.

As brain-injured children and infants age, they experience increasing challenges. They undergo pressure from their peer group and may find themselves unable to perform or interact appropriately. This can lead to personality change, anxiety, and depression.

The Importance of Good Parenting Skills

The results of research conducted by Dr. Brad Kurowski were presented to the annual gathering of the Association of Academic Physiatrists in February 2017. This program was carried out to establish the long term effects on children after such an injury. The major outcomes were:

This study also showed that parenting and the home environment have a huge role to play in recovery and the development of these attention problems. Babies with severe brain injuries nurtured in a healthy home environment showed better recovery than those recovering in disadvantaged or abusive environments.

The results of this study confirm the view of many other specialists that good parenting skills can be critical to recovery. Accordingly, more education and training is needed in this area to prepare parents for day-to-day management to increase the chances of a successful outcome.