What Are the Symptoms of a Child Brain Injury?
How is your child going to react to a severe hit to the head? It’s hard to tell, so it’s best to be aware of the many ways that brain injuries can present themselves.
The most common physical symptom is a bump on the head. The best way to treat this is just the way you probably think: an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas or corn.
Many cases result in headaches, while only a few leave the child unconscious. A fall can still be severe even if the child remains conscious. While infants cannot tell a parent that they have a headache, they are usually more irritable than normal or act as if they are uncomfortable.
Vomiting is probably more common that you’d think, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the injury was severe. A seizure, however, is a serious symptom and if your child has a seizure after a head injury they should have a CT scan as soon as possible to see what’s really happening. Here’s a link to a full list of symptoms that should be followed up with medical attention.
You may remember the recently death of a celebrity from a skiing accident who seemed fine immediately after the accident but who had actually received a severe brain injury. This happens when blood rushes to the brain after an injury. It can cause the child to lose consciousness hours after the injury because of the rise in pressure in the brain. Immediate medical attention and persistent parental monitoring are essential in these cases.
Some symptoms can’t be seen for some time, especially if they are in young children. Injury to the reading and writing area of the brain in an infant or toddler may not be seen until she reaches an age where she should be able to read and write. Personality changes can also be a result of brain injury. These symptoms do not occur in every case, but should be watched for in any child who has experienced a brain injury.
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