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Jessica Riccardi is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Principal Investigator of the Brain injury, Education, and Research (BEaR) Lab at the University of Maine. Katy Bizier is the senior neuroresource facilitator for the Brain Injury Association of America Maine Chapter. Riccardi is a member of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear in the BDN every other week. This column reflects their views and expertise and does not speak on behalf of the university or association.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month in the United States. From CDC data, more than 3,000 children experience a brain injury in Maine each year, making childhood brain injury a chronic, public health crisis warranting the public’s awareness to better support individuals living with a childhood brain injury.
Most (about 80 percent) of brain injuries are considered mild or “concussions.” A brain injury of any severity can have chronic, persistent impacts on an individual’s life. Yet, every brain injury is unique in how and for how long it impacts a person. For children, experiencing a brain injury can change development and learning years after the injury. Therefore, health and educational professionals and even caregivers might not link the child’s difficulties back to their brain injury.
This can lead to children with brain injury being misidentified as having a behavior disorder or even Autism Spectrum Disorder. Then, appropriate supports and services might not be offered or provided, contributing to high rates of unmet needs that impact success at school and in work. Further, research shows that individuals who are unhoused, involved in the justice system, or experiencing substance use disorders are more likely to have experienced multiple brain injuries during their childhood compared to the general public.
While there’s a lot of work to be done in the United States and Maine to sensitively address childhood brain injury, the first step is to recognize the chronic nature of brain injury through identification and monitoring. All caregivers might not know the potentially long-term impacts of a brain injury. Clinical providers should consider screening for brain injury in all children they serve. This ensures access to appropriate, comprehensive services, decreasing the risk of cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
Luckily, when a child is identified as having a brain injury and needing supports, some resources are already available through Maine’s public schools and community organizations, such as local special education, behavioral health care, and family supports. Since the impacts of a brain injury change over time, individuals should be monitored by their health and educational teams through adulthood to ensure resources are provided in a timely manner.
It is necessary that Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and Office of Child and Family Services invest in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for children with brain injury. This should include identification, ongoing monitoring and collaboration, and a pathway for services and supports. Increased funding and efforts to provide information and supports would raise the public’s awareness and ensure that those who are supporting children day-to-day, at home, in the classroom, and more, have access to the best methods to do so.
Need more help or information on brain injury? The Brain injury, Education, and Research (BEaR) Lab and Brain Injury Association of America Maine Chapter are available to help caregivers, medical and educational professionals, other providers, and survivors of brain injury. Together, they are collaborating with providers and families across the state to identify, design, and implement pathways of care for Maine’s children with brain injury. Join them during Brain Injury Awareness Month and beyond to prioritize education, support, and advocacy to improve outcomes for children with brain injury in Maine.
