For many different reasons, brain injuries are common among children. In fact, according to a long-term study, approximately 400,000 children suffer traumatic brain injuries annually. Sadly, TBI is a leading cause of permanent disability for kids in the U.S.
When it comes to a child’s prognosis, early diagnosis is often critical. Still, because many kids cannot speak or do not have large vocabularies, diagnosing pediatric TBIs can be tricky. So, how do doctors get the job done?
The history of the injury
One of the more important factors in diagnosing a pediatric TBI is the history of the injury itself. Therefore, when you see a pediatrician or emergency room doctor, you should give the doctor as much information as you can about how the injury happened. This may include describing the accident and any steps you took in its aftermath.
Your child’s normal behaviors
You can expect your doctor to consider changes in your child’s normal behaviors. After all, pediatric brain injuries can cause memory lapses, insomnia, too much sleeping or changes in eating patterns. A pediatrician also may want to compare your child’s performance on cognitive tests to the performance of healthy children.
The severity of your child’s injury
If the doctor suspects your child might have a TBI, he or she may order additional testing. Indeed, it is not uncommon for physicians to use CT scans, MRIs and other diagnostic tools to measure the severity of a child’s brain injury.
As you can see, diagnosing a pediatric brain injury can be a long, complicated and expensive prospect. Ultimately, you may need to pursue financial compensation to ensure your son or daughter has access to the medical care he or she deserves.
