Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Gala to Help Families With Brain-Injured Children

The parents of an 8-year-old son who suffered pediatric traumatic brain injury after a 2006 accident, Dawn and Kurt Schessl have become advocates for other child brain injury victims, according to the Catholic Courier online.  The creators of a nonprofit organization aimed to help other families cope after a child brain injury, the Schessls focus their efforts on helping those families navigate the medical and educational systems involved after traumatic brain injury.  The foundation also contributes to transporting brain injury victims from home and school to medical facilities and educating families about helpful resources available to them.  In order to continue the good work, the Schessls have scheduled a Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury gala in their home state of New York to raise funds for the organization.  The event, which will be held at Casa Larga Vineyards from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. November 21, will include live and silent auctions, dancing, and interaction with master of ceremonies Glenn Johnson, Channel 13's meteorologist in Rochester.  Funds from the event will go toward providing schools and families with helpful manuals regarding children's abilities after brain injury.  The Schessls hope to give video resources to teachers explaining strategies for teaching students with brain injuries, as well.

As an advocate for injured and abused children who have suffered brain damage, Chris Keane narrows his legal focus to representing children and only children.  Such a narrow focus has given him the opportunity and experience of working with the best medical experts in the field of child brain injury.  If you have questions regarding pediatric traumatic brain injury or child head injuries in general, contact Chris Keane online or at 888-592-KIDS for free answers and advice unique to your specific situation.

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Family works to help others with brain injuries

Do Early-Age Brain Injuries Cause ADHD?: The Real Link Between Child Head Injuries and ADHD

Is pediatric brain injury connected to ADHD?  Recent brain injury and mental health research indicate that the answer is YES.  According to the Organized Wisdom website, young children who sustain head and brain injuries are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) when they reach ages 2 through 10 than children who do not suffer head injuries.  The research indicates, however, that the relationship between child brain injury and ADHD is NOT necessarily that of cause and effect.  Instead, the "common denominator" is in behavior, specifically risk-taking.

British researchers conducted the study in hopes of finding out if a head injury sustained before the age of 2 might lead to a diagnosis of ADHD in the brain-injured child at age 2 or later (the condition cannot be diagnosed until age 2).  The results of the study revealed that children with early-age head injuries did have a 90 percent higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than children in the general population.  However, since children with other injuries (specifically burn or scalding injuries) also had a higher incidence of ADHD diagnosis than the general population, no real cause-and-effect relationship could be identified between brain injuries and the behavioral disorder.

According to the researchers, the study revealed that children engaging in risk-taking behavior are more prone to serious injury and developing ADHD than children with more moderate behavior.  Previous research confirms that ADHD children are more accident-prone than those without the condition.

If your child has suffered a head injury or brain injury and you have questions about the link between pediatric brain injury and other conditions, feel free to contact child brain injury lawyer Chris Keane.  Narrowing his practice to representing children only has enabled him to work with the best experts in the field of head and brain injuries, and he will be glad to provide you with free helpful resources, information, or answers to questions during your time of need.

You may contact Chris Keane online or call 1-888-592-KIDS (1-888-592-5437).

CT Scans Only Necessary in Certain Circumstances? | Child Brain Injury Attorney

Many of the several thousand CT scans conducted per year on children who have suffered head injuries may be unnecessary, according to a new study described on the Brain and Spinal Cord website.  Although CT scans have been the traditional way to detect serious brain injuries in children and other head trauma victims, the new study asserts that several other methods for diagnosing brain injuries are more effective in many circumstances.  The research included a study of more than 42,000 children under the age of 19 who underwent different methods of detecting traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Of that group, about 15,000 children received CT scans, but less than 1,000 of those scans successfully detected signs of TBI, even though all the children in the study had been in accidents with serious impact to the head or sustained injuries bumping their heads.

What methods should be used to detect child brain injuries?  According to the article, performing DTI scans and monotoring NSE protein levels in the blood have proven successful in former studies in revealing the subtle brain damage that CT scans cannot detect.  These recommendations should not be misunderstood, however:  in some instances, a CT scan is absolutely necessary.  The new study defined six signs that indicate a CT scan should be conducted:  altered states of mind, unusual behavior, unconsciousness, headaches, vomiting, and signs of skull fracture.  Doctors were encouraged to find one of more of these indicators before sending a patient to a CT scan.

As an advocate for injured and abused children who have suffered brain damage, Chris Keane narrows his legal focus to representing children and only children.  Such a narrow focus has given him the opportunity and experience of working with the best medical experts in the field of child brain injury.  If you have questions regarding pediatric traumatic brain injury or child head injuries in general, contact Chris Keane online or at 888-592-KIDS for free answers and advice unique to your specific situation.