Neuropsychological Assessment and Rehabilitation of BI - Special Considerations
An infant with a traumatic brain injury is at a disadvantage because it cannot communicate some of the signs. Even if a newborn has a headache or is dizzy or nauseous, it can’t simply tell anyone.
Get A 100% Free CASE EvaluationFamilies and physicians, therefore, need to closely monitor for signs and changes in how the baby feeds, nurses and sleeps. Persistence in crying and extreme irritability can be signs of a problem, and the infant may seem sensitive to noise and light or seem fatigued or lethargic.
Other important aspects to consider include:
- Memory, attention, language, and behavioral deficits don’t appear until much later, once a child is expected to reach developmental milestones.
- Preterm birth and extremely low birth weight are linked to brain injuries because of the immaturity of nerve cells and structures, and the delicate nature of blood vessels at this stage.
- Gestation time matters. While at birth at 36 weeks, a baby may be slow to feed, one at 33 weeks may have respiratory distress issues, and those before 28 weeks often have multiple problems that can affect survival.
- The risk of hypothermia, hypoglycemia, jaundice, infection, and intraventricular brain hemorrhage is elevated for premature babies.
- Brain injuries have an unpredictable nature, especially in immature and underdeveloped brains, and the impact and outcome vary with each.
In Ohio, the definition of a traumatic brain injury is much broader than the federal guidelines. External trauma is a possibility with a prolonged labor and difficult birth, but the state definition extends beyond external trauma. Stroke, surgical injury, and other causes are covered. Treatment and education services are therefore available to more children. The overall spectrum of disorders that encompass brain injuries can affect various physiological, psychological, social, and other components of one’s abilities.
Considerations therefore not only include the baby’s gestational period, and immediate diagnosis and treatment, but also the long-term prognosis, which is often uncertain. The types of impacts on learning and the teaching methods that will be needed are considerations. However, statistics alone do not provide a guideline, since all infants with a birth brain injury have different needs.