Rehabilitation from Brain Injury in Children

Type and severity of injury determine rehabilitation needs Spectrum of severity: mild concussion to severe penetrating injury Injury results in a variety of problems performing both simple and complex tasks: speech, walking, dressing, sports, education Injury in children may also affect ability to continue the previous developmental and learning paths, as well as the tempo of this development

What expertise is involved in the rehabilitation of brain injured people? Specialized rehabilitation nursing Physician specialties: – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – Pediatrics/Internal Medicine – Neurology – Psychiatry and neuro-psychology Rehabilitation therapists – Physical therapists – Occupational therapists – Speech-language specialists Dedicated case managers

Pediatric populations present special problems Development and learning are major life tasks in this population Each age level in the pediatric group presents specific challenges related to developmental level of the child Family and school are more important for children than adults – Need to integrate rehabilitation with family and school during and after the hospital stay – Parent’s participation in rehabilitation presents challenges to the rest of the family that are worse the further the rehab site is from home Expertise in all of these age and developmental levels are required among all of those providing rehablitation: nurses, physicians, therapists, educators.