DescriptionAccording to the Center for Disease Control, brain injury is the single largest cause of death and disability among youth in the United States. The latest report regarding the incidence rate of brain injury among children and young people is staggering. More than a million children sustain a brain injury every year. Over 200,000 children are hospitalized each year with a brain injury. 15,000 require prolonged hospitalization and among those with severe brain injuries, 50% will have major neurological problems.
The causes of brain injury among children are many, but motor vehicle collisions recreational injuries, falls, child abuse and assault are among the leading causes. Perhaps of greatest importance is the increasing violence against children. The severity of injury in assaults from guns is a special concern. While most injuries are mild, brain injury has a direct bearing on school performance and social adjustment of children. Often mild brain injury goes undetected or is ignored until educational problems appear. The implications for school systems and educators are very significant. As medical and technological research advances, more and more children will survive severe brain trauma. Partnerships between the acute hospital, brain injury, rehabilitation facility and schools must be enhanced. More and more schools will be called upon to educate by children and youth with severe physical, cognitive and social impairment. For individuals under the age of 22, school systems are the primary providers of long-term education and rehabilitation. To this end, schools and educators must be prepared and able to assist not only children, but also their families, since brain injury impacts the whole family.