What Do Parents Need to Know about Tbi?

I think that parents need to realize that a lot of brain injuries can be prevented, and so if they can prevent it, that's going to be so much better than having to deal with some recovery. So, wearing helmets in sports activities such as skiing, skating, skateboarding, snowboarding, bicycle riding, any kind of activity where there is a risk of you falling and hitting your head at high speed or on hard substances--that's important. I think it's important that if their child develops a concussion that they recognize that this is a concussion, that their child is dazed and confused, doesn't remember what happened to them, complains of--sort of--seeing stars or ringing in their ears or something, then that's probably a mild concussion. They should take that child out of that sport or activity or whatever they're doing and put them at what I call rest so that they're not doing any real extensive physical activity, not really doing any mental activity for a couple of days, and letting the brain heal so that they're not left with ongoing problems. And then there's the--if the child has had a brain injury, to realize that all the things that I've talked about don't occur in every child. So--you know--then the children do get better and with therapy and with a lot of consistency and a lot of love then these problems can be overcome and the child can learn how to have a normal life. But it requires a fair amount of time and effort and learning to be able to do that. So it will be for the long haul that they're going to be in there dealing with their child.