Acquired brain injury in children & teens

What is an acquired brain injury?

An acquired brain injury is any damage to the brain that happens after birth.

What causes acquired brain injury?

The most common cause of acquired brain injury is trauma, like a head injury in a car accident. This is also called traumatic brain injury.

Other causes of acquired brain injury include:

lack of oxygen – for example, during a very severe asthma attack or near-drowning or from heart complications
infections around the brain like meningitis or encephalitis
stroke
brain tumour
side effects from chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

How acquired brain injury can affect children and teenagers

Acquired brain injury can affect:

senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste
eating or swallowing
attention, concentration, memory, thinking and learning
communication, speech and language
behaviour and personality
energy levels
coordination, balance and strength
muscle control and movement.

In some cases of acquired brain injury, children might have seizures.

The effects of acquired brain injury can range from temporary to permanent. They can also range from mild to severe, depending on how severe the damage caused by the injury is.

Acquired brain injury in children and teenagers: treatment and supports

If your child has an acquired brain injury, health professionals will first treat the underlying cause and its effects.

Your child will then have rehabilitation. This involves ongoing support to:

recover physically, mentally and emotionally from the acquired brain injury
adapt to the long-term physical, mental and emotional effects of the acquired brain injury
develop skills for living life with acquired brain injury.

During rehabilitation and afterwards, you and your child might work with a large team of health professionals. The team might include some of or all the following health professionals:

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) might support your child with acquired brain injury, as well as you and your family. Our guide has answers to your questions about the NDIS.

Living with an acquired brain injury

Children and teenagers with acquired brain injury can feel quite upset by the health problems that come with the injury. And learning to live with acquired brain injury can be an ongoing challenge. But many children and teenagers with acquired brain injury improve with treatment and rehabilitation and make progress daily.

Health professionals can help families adapt to the changes that acquired brain injury can bring, especially if their child’s personality or behaviour has been affected.

If your child has an acquired brain injury, it’s easy to get caught up in looking after them. But it’s important to look after your own wellbeing and get support for yourself too. If you’re physically and mentally well, you’ll be better able to care for your child.