Physical symptoms include:
- A loss of consciousness, or fainting
- Dizziness – if they complain that the room is spinning and that they might crash to the floor if they stand
- Nausea, with or without vomiting
- Fatigue (this is tiredness you cannot explain, not what happens after your five-year old decides to run up the stairs till he drops in exhaustion)
- Sensitivity to light may be common
Worse still, there are some signs you may not notice even with keen observation. Some of the symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury in children may affect the mind, body and the overall behavior of children.
Problems with cognition are subtle most times, and might not be even noticed a while after the incidence. Some of them are a result of many episodes of trauma to the head. The symptoms you might eventually notice are:
- A reduced attention span.
- Inability to focus
- Short term memory problem is possible.
- Changes in behavior – you might notice that your child is suddenly becoming aggressive, more irritable, depressed, withdrawn, and emotional or experiencing unexplained anxiety.
A number of these symptoms occur immediately after the injury. Headache is the commonest symptom experienced by children with mild traumatic head injuries. About half of them might come up with nausea and vomiting. Loss of consciousness also commonly happens. It is also very possible that your child experiences none of these. Many times, they could hide the headaches to avoid taking medications. There is really no way you can find out if they have a headache if they do not tell or confess their antics.
What does this mean for your child?
Most children who sustain traumatic brain injuries recover naturally with majority of the signs and symptoms resolving on their own in the first two to three months post-injury. However, some of these children would still experience some symptoms including, but not limited to fatigue, headaches, and attention difficulty.
Your pediatrician will be able to decide if your child needs special medical intervention or not, depending on how severe the injury and the symptoms are. Your pediatrician might conduct simple bedside tests to ascertain how severe the injury is. The management of a child with mTBI would include, physical and cognitive rest, which means bed rest and no school work. Your work is cut out for you though because your child also has to stay away from strenuous activities such as sports.
Again, children sometimes act like absolute crazy people!