ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY

 

 

Acquired brain injury or damage can occur as a result of a car crash, falling off a ladder or can be the result of a stroke or haemorrhage. The most common cause of ABI in young children is oxygen starvation at birth. ABI is a complex and pervasive condition which can affect a child’s life in a number of ways:

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• Physical activities such as walking, riding a bike or tying shoelaces can become difficult or even impossible.

• Cognitive damage, including the ability to think, reason, perceive and remember things.

• Emotional problems such as depression, violent outburst and sudden mood swings are commonly associated with ABI.

• Language and communication difficulties, especially with regard to writing, reading, speaking and listening. Loss of vocabulary and memory can present many challenges.

• Social difficulties associated with ABI include interrupting, dominating discussions, speaking too loudly or rudely or invading the personal space of the person they are speaking to

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• We specialise in Verbal Behaviour a form of Applied Behaviour Analysis. Verbal Behaviour is on the most effective ways of helping children with language, communication and behavioural skills.

• Our team of highly qualified and experienced Behaviour Analysts and Psychologists will work with your family, undertaking a detailed assessment of your child’s skills and needs, and designing a Verbal Behaviour programme to teach new skills and behaviours.

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Many of the children we help make astonishing progress and learn skills their family thought was impossible. Whilst this degree of success is not possible for all children, even a child with significant damage can make huge gains. However severely or mildly affected your child is, the right interventions can make all the difference. Click here for some case stories of children and families we have worked with.

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• There are many factors which will influence the success of the intervention, including the nature and severity of the problem, your family situation and your availability to implement our recommendations day in day out. We will talk to you about these and the level of success you can expect, once we have undertaken a detailed observation and assessment of your child.

• Many of the children we have worked with have made remarkable progress with their language and communication. Some of the outcomes of our interventions include:

• The ability to learn language skills that were lost when the brain was damaged.

• A better use of the social aspect of language. This includes learning or relearning to take turns in conversation, improved listening skills, appropriate language and conversation and the ability to adapt language according the context or the person your child is interacting with.

• An enhanced ability to follow instructions, resulting in better academic performance.

• Because of the complex nature of ABI, your child may need Verbal Behaviour as part of a wider programme of therapies and support, including occupational therapists, neurologists and physiotherapists.

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• By teaching lost skills to a child with ABI, parts of the brain which have been damaged can repair themselves. The use of Verbal Behaviour with stroke patients who have ABI is an exciting new area of research and NETwork Interventions is involved with other specialists in developing this exciting new application of the science.

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