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Recovery and Outcome from Acquired Brain Injury
HOW TO WORK WITH THE BRAIN-INJURED CHILD AT DIFFERENT COGNITIVE LEVELS
Level VIII — Purposeful/Appropriate
The child may not function as well as before the injury but is alert, oriented and needs no supervision once he has learned a skill. He is functional in society, but may still have difficulty dealing with unexpected or stressful situations.
- Participate in familiar activities with the child so you can help him become aware of minor limitations in his thinking and problem-solving ability. Notice changes in how well the child does on familiar tasks, and talk about these changes with the child in a non-critical way.
- Encourage note-taking to help with any continuing memory problems. It is a good idea for the family to develop a habit of writing down messages and information in a routine way and place, as memory loss is typically a lasting problem. Developing this habit is vitally important to the future success of the child. He may not readily accept this idea, but remaining memory problems are not about to go away, and the child must learn ways to compensate for them.
- Talk about the things that make the child angry. Frustration tolerance is improving, but this too may be a more long-lasting effect of the injury. The child needs to identify what these situations are and how to either avoid them or deal with them.
- Encourage the child to talk to you about feelings of depression and nervousness. Assure him that these feelings are normal and will improve as he has more practice dealing with different situations. Do not try to talk the child out of these feelings, and avoid saying that he has no reason to feel that way. Be sure to talk with the rehabilitation team about the child's concerns.
- Maintain a hopeful yet realistic attitude toward the child's future. Learning to cope with having had a head injury and the possibility of permanent physical and cognitive limitations takes a very long time. Remember, even after discharge from the hospital, you are still part of the child's rehabilitation team.