Brain Injuries Cause Developmental Disabilities in Children

A healthy, typically developing child suffers an accident or injury that damages the brain. It’s a far too frequent occurrence. In the worst cases, damage to the brain can cause death. It may cause a lifelong disability for the child, including intellectual or cognitive impairments.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in the U.S. Children ages birth to 4 and 15 to 19 have the highest rates of incidence. In the early years of life (about birth to 5), children’s brains are developing at their most rapid rate, and brain trauma can prevent a child from ever being able to develop the skills controlled by the portion of the brain that is damaged.