Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Archive for the ‘Traumatic Brain Injury’ Category

We recently found this write-up from a CNN physician’s blog full of good information. Children under the age of four are just in the beginning of their developmental years.  For babies and toddler their sense of balance is anything but astute.  Because of this they often fall.  All parents understand that falling is second nature to toddlers and for the most part shouldn’t cause undo alarm.  But when a fall occurs by a stairwell or a hard sharp surface a more severe injury can occur. 

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Athletics, for many children growing up, is a rite of passage.  For middle school  and high school student athletes, sports offers competition as well as opportunity.  But there can be risks, as well.  Many parents, as their children  become involved in competitive sports, share concerns about head injuries.

Fortunately, basic guidelines for recognizing minor concussions in scholastic sports have been developed. An understanding of these can prevent more serious injuries and consequences. Neurologists and neuropsychologists have recognized that the length of loss of consciousness is somewhat related to the severity of injury. The amount of time an adult or child fails to recall before the trauma  and the period of time not recalled following the trauma  are also somewhat related to the extent of injury.

 According to the CDC, a concussion is a brain injury that can be brought on by a bump, blow or jolt to the head and although not all bumps to the head involve a brain injury, concussions should never be taken lightly. They can show up right after an injury or take days or weeks to emerge.   Parents, student athletes and  coaches should exercise great caution, as the long term effects  of multiple concussions can be severe.

Additional resources:

ImPACT, a neuro-cognitive test  -A 20-minute computerized examination that  judges reaction time, memory and attention span through a progression of mental challenges.

www.AAN.COM- The American Academy of Neurology

 A new research study reported on the link between lead exposure to children and permanent brain damage. According to the article, “the study was presented Tuesday at an annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, looking at the long-term effects of childhood exposure to lead. Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that lead poisoning at a young age caused damage to the regions of the brain that control how decisions are made, and the brain damage from lead exposure persists into adulthood.”

Lead poisoning is a child common injury and can result in: nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures or convulsions, growth or mental retardation, coma and even death.

Within the article, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 250,000 children in the United States have blood levels greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, which is the level that the CDC considers deserving of public health action.

Many child injury cases with lead have been brought against landlords and property owners  for failing to maintain older rental properties where children and their familes live. Parents should also be aware of chemicals in certain toys which have been recalled due to product defects.

For additional information find a related link here  from a previous blog posted on our Florida Child Injury website.