Take Action to Protect Our Youth from Traumatic Brain Injury
Along with many others, I was shocked to learn about the recent death of actress Natasha Richardson. Ms. Richardson fell while taking skiing lessons on a beginner’s slope. Although she hit her head, she reportedly got up from the fall and declined any immediate medical treatment since she didn’t lose consciousness and felt fine. But soon afterward the world learned what we at CDC already knew – even a seemingly minor bump to the head can result in a significant traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is usually caused by a bump or blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in TBI, yet even what appears to be a mild bump can change the way the brain normally works. Some 50,000 people die from TBI every year. For survivors, the injuries can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting memory, concentration, thinking, balance, vision, learning, language and/or emotions.
Recreation- and sports-related TBIs like Ms. Richardson’s are not uncommon. Based on information from hospital emergency departments, we’ve learned that about 200,000 sports- and recreation-related TBIs, including concussions, occur each year. The highest incidence of TBI is among children who are 10 to 14 years old, followed by those aged 15 to 19 years.
Recognizing the risk to our youth, CDC’s Injury Center – in partnership with medical, sports, and educational organizations – launched an effort to educate those involved in youth sports about the danger of concussions. We developed an initiative with information about the risk and seriousness of concussions, ways to prevent these injuries, how to recognize the symptoms, and, importantly, what to do if a concussion is suspected. Called “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports,” the initiative contains a number of materials targeted to coaches, parents and athletes.
We can honor Natasha Richardson by helping to prevent and lessen the effects of traumatic brain injuries. Commit to be better informed about the dangers of TBI, more conscientious about preventing these injuries, and ever-diligent about protecting our youth from the adverse effects of TBI.
Posted by: Ileana Arias, Tuesday, Feb 18, 2009, 01:10 pm ETT
Comments
I would like to see more education about children wearing helmets when they ride a bike.
You stated that “The highest incidence of TBI is among children who are 10 to 14 years old, followed by those aged 15 to 19 years” and yet parents still do not TEACH their children the importance of wearing a helmet when they ride a bike. I don’t think parents realize what can happen. The majority of children in my community do not wear a helmet or do not wear it properly. I am stunned to hear parents say “I can’t get my child to wear a helmet, I guess he will learn when he falls and hits his head on the pavement.” We need to educate parents and children about the importance of wearing a helmet and what can happen when your child does hit his head on the pavement. I am a parent of 3 children who ALWAYS wear a helmet and who understand the importance of wearing one. My children are the ones who notice when others are not wearing one. My oldest child is 17 years old and still wears a helmet, of course, my husband has set a good example by always wearing a helmet too.
A child in our community lost her life when she was riding a bike in her neighborhood without a helmet, she fell and hit her head on the curb. Parents talked about making their children wear a helmet but all too soon stopped enforcing it. What does it take for adults to realize (or remember) the importance of teaching your child to protect themselves! Maybe we should start by educating children so they are the ones telling their parents that they need a helmet.
If this is problem in my community I’m certain that it is in most communities. Just drive through neighborhoods and see for yourself how many children have helmets on.
Posted by: Cindy Saylor, Tuesday, April 07, 2009 4:02 PM EST
I would like to also suggest that we begin to pay more attention to injuries that occur when children less than three years of age are dropped, shaken, fall, bump into things, acts of child abuse, etc.; these acts/incidents may result in brain injuries that are often undiagnosed/untreated and that may later manifest themselves in pre-school and kindergarten as disruptive behavior, inability to pay attention, limited social skills, etc. In addition, these children, left without interventions, may be more likely to drop out of school, have poor school outcomes, and become involved in the juvenile justice system.
All cases of babies being shaken do not end up in medical settings or get reported to protective services. Moreover, many parents tend to forget falls, bumps, babies and young children being dropped, etc. I also often wonder about the extent to which undiagnosed brain injuries are contributing factors in the upsurge in behavior related suspensions of kindergarteners; thus my suggestion that we begin to pay more attention to this age group.
Posted by: Sylvia Gafford-Alexander, Tuesday, April 07, 2009 4:05 PM EST
Dear Dr. Arias, Ph.D.:
I'm the survivor of 38 known brain injuries, not counting the five years my head was a target for red & green tomatoes.
I was a substitute teacher until the noise the children made in the classroom proved to be to loud for me to handle. As you know head injuries cause the ears to be very sensitive to noise. Can you somehow promote that survivors of brain trauma can be productive citizens, with accommodations, especially since our veterans will need this care? I've failed again. My employer fired me because I lost control of the classroom, needless to say, I'd been trying to teach for over 15 years. However, I was successful in teaching for more than 150 days over 1 1/2 years. My employer was SubTeachUSA 870.236-3257 (Mandy). If I'm unemployed then how many of our veterans will be forced to live life from the sidelines? Is this American?
I think a large component that sidelines those with traumatic brain injuries is the negative educational self-fulfilling prophecy labeling with harsh (pessimistic explanatory learning style) terms like disabled, retarded, handicapped, etc., rather than (optimistic explanatory learning style) terms like challenged, challenges, multiple intelligences, differently-abled, etc. For more on the optimisitic & pessimsitic explanatory learning style visit the Positive Psychology Center, Dr. Martin EP Seligman, Ph.D.
Posted by: Shaun Best, Tuesday, April 07, 2009 5:46 PM
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Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
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