Special Needs

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Changes in behaviour may be related to a mild traumatic brain injury (e.g., falls, accidents, medical treatment, shaken baby syndrome).

If the child presents with one or more of the following behaviours that are different from the child’s norm, consider this a red flag:

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Physical

► Dizziness

► Headache, recurrent or chronic

► Bleeding from the scalp or nose

► Blurred vision or double vision

► Fatigue that is persistent

► Reduced endurance that is consistent

► Insomnia/severe problems falling asleep

► Poor coordination and poor balance

► Sensory impairment (change in ability to smell, hear, see, taste the same as before)

► Significantly decreased motor function

► Dramatic and consistent increase or decrease in appetite

► Seizures

► Persistent tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

► Retinal hemorrhages

► Bulging fontanel

► Bruises

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Cognitive Impairments

► Decreased attention

► Gets mixed up about time and place

► Decreased concentration

► Reduced perception

► Memory or reduced learning speed

► Develops problems finding words or generating sentences consistently

► Problem solving (planning, organizing and initiating tasks)

► Learning new information (increased time required for new learning to occur)

► Abstract thinking

► Reduced motor speed

► Inflexible thinking; concrete thinking

► Decreased processing speed

► Not developing age-appropriately

► Difficulties with multi-tasking and sequencing

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Behavioural/Emotional (Severe)

► Irritability, aggression

► Impulsivity, confusion, distractibility, mind gets stuck on one issue, emotional rollercoaster

► Loss of self esteem

► Poor social judgment or socially inappropriate behaviour

► Decreased initiative or motivation, difficulty handling transitions or routines

► Personality change, sleep disturbances

► Withdrawal, depression, frustration

► Anxiety

► Decreased ability to empathize, egocentricism

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• Signs of possible head injury:

  • swelling and pain

  • nausea or vomiting

  • feeling dizzy

  • bleeding from the scalp or nose