Traumatic Brain Injury

BRIEF SUMMARY

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force injures the brain.  Causes include falls, vehicle collisions, and violence. Brain trauma occurs as a consequence of a sudden acceleration or deceleration within the cranium or by a complex combination of both movement and sudden impact.

KEY POINTS

• TBI is one of two subsets of acquired brain injury (brain damage that occur after birth); the other subset is non-traumatic brain injury, which does not involve external mechanical force (examples include stroke and infection).
• IDEA’s definition of Traumatic Brain Injury:  “…an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psycho-social behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.” [34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(12)]

SHARED WISDOM

• The terms head injury and brain injury are often used interchangeably.
• TBI is present in 85% of traumatically injured children, either alone or with other injuries.

RESOURCES

• Returning to School After Traumatic Brain Injury
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