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While no family is ever prepared for the life changes a brain injury brings, almost every family following a brain injury wants to know how they can help during the recovery process. Immediately after a brain injury, it's common for families to place all their energies and focus onto the person with the injury. As the person begins to move through the rehabilitation process, family members begin to ask questions that extend beyond the person's physical well-being. They want to know about what kinds of programs and services are available, and they may even seek out a brain injury support group to help gain additional insight about dealing with brain injury.
After some time has passed, families begin asking questions about the long term. They want to learn ways they can minimize the damage caused by the injury, and they want to find ways to improve the quality of life for everyone in the family.
He Never Liked Cake
A brain injury can turn a family's life upside down. Add in adolescence. Read an excerpt from Janna Leyde's coming-of-age story — raw, honest, funny, heart-breaking and heart-affirming.
Unfreezing Grief
"Growing up with a father with a TBI is complicated, un-ending grief without closure. It’s the opposite of resolution. It’s missing someone like hell who’s still alive and with you."
The Dangers of Creating "Vulnerable Child Syndrome"
Parents need to balance their awareness of a child's mild TBI with letting that worry get in the way of the child's normal development.
Using Play Activities When Working with Children Who Have a Parent with TBI
Dr. Audrey Daisley talks about the effectiveness of using crafts or story-based activities for kids of all ages who are dealing with a TBI in the family.
Strategies for Children Who May Feel Embarrassed About a Parent with TBI
Role playing is one strategy that psychologists use to help children deal with embarrassment they may have by their parent with TBI, or people's reaction to that parent.
How to Deal with the Worries of Kids Who Have a Parent with TBI
Psychologists have effective strategies like the "Worry Worm Box" to help young children deal with their anxieties about their injured parent.
Children with a Brain Injured Parent Want Honesty, Inclusion
Parents often think that protecting their young children from the truth about a spouse's injury will spare the children. But sometimes kids imagine something far worse than reality.
How Younger Children Often React to a Parent with TBI
After a parent's injury, young children often cope and adapt by becoming clingy with other adults, acting out, or regressing developmentally. This is normal and, with help, will pass.
How Older Children Often React to a Parent with TBI
When a parent is injured, older children can react from becoming withdrawn to putting too much pressure on themselves to perform perfectly at school. But kids are resilient and, with or without support, they will bounce back.
Art Helps Psychologists Work with Kids with a Parent with TBI
Art work can help children express how they are feeling about their injured parent. In turn, the drawings can help psychologists help those kids better understand and adapt to the resulting changes in their family.
Helping Kids Bring Together the "Was" and "Is" of Life with a Parent with TBI
Through crafts, story telling, and collage making, psychologists can help kids manage the discrepancy of who their parent was before his injury, who he is now, and how those two can come together.
Why Kids Understand Ambiguous Loss Intuitively
After a parent has a brain injury, kids are often confused and will might say, "She looks like my Mom, but she doesn't act like it." "He seems half dead, and half alive." "If he's changed, do I need to change to still be close to him?"
Crash
Two teenagers. A dark road. A drunk driver. This excerpt is from a beautiful book about the journey from grief to gratitude to grace by a pediatrician-mother.
Growing Up with Brain Injury
This is a glimpse into the life of girl whose father sustained a brain injury. Her life continues to be defined by the moment of her father's car crash — for better and for worse.
Helping Children Cope with Head Injury in the Family
Children who have a close relative, particularly a parent, with a brain injury face many challenges. Learn how children can be affected and how to help them and the adults caring for them.
Parenting Practices Affect a Child’s Recovery Post-Brain Injury
More authoritarian parenting practices led to lower adaptive functioning in children post-TBI.
No Stone Unturned
From the moment the Goldsteins adopted Bart from Korea, they pulled out all the stops to give him a good life. Especially after he sustained a severe TBI.
Learning to Let Go, Again
A day with friends on the links ended Ryan's life as he — and his family — knew it, but their life includes many more happy chapters.
Libby Parker: Finding Her Rhythm
In the last chapter of Naomi Parker's book about her daughter’s brain injury, Libby was starting her senior year of high school. BrainLine wanted to find out where she is now.
Keep Moving Forward: Children with Brain Injuries
Learn from three children and their families who live day to day with the effects of brain injury.
Should You Let Your Child Play Contact Sports?
A doctor/parent talks about trying to find a balance between the benefits and dangers of letting his children play contact sports.
When the Unthinkable Happens: Support for Siblings After a Traumatic Brain Injury Strikes a Family
Taking care of seven children when one sustains a life-threatening TBI: one mother's story.
My Child's Brain Injury: Coping with Guilt
Stop the "what ifs" and "if onlys" and take action where you can to help your child.
My Child's Brain Injury: Why Do I Feel So Sad?
"I'm so thankful she survived, but I miss the little girl who used to run and sing and dance."
Common Problems Children Have After a Traumatic Brain Injury
Learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion or brain injury so you can get the best help for your child.
How Can Physicians Best Help Families with Children with Brain Injury?
Especially with children with brain injury, health professionals need to think outside the "medical model."
My Child's Brain Injury: Family Matters
Learn about common strategies that some families use to help them feel supported and strong after one of them sustains a TBI.
Adolescents and TBI
Adolescence is a tough enough time. What happens when a brain injury is added to the mix?
Siblings of Children with TBI. What About Them?
Watch for changes in children’s behavior after a sibling is hurt.
Brain Interrupted: The Story of John's Traumatic Brain Injury
Mt. Sinai's Dr. Wayne Gordon introduces one mother's powerful story about the importance of accurate diagnosis.
The Water Giver
The story of a mother, a son, and their second chance after a brain injury.
Online Safety for Children with LD
All children are at risk for being bullied or harassed, but for those with disabilities, bullying is more prevalent.
How to Succeed in Biz-Ness by Really Trying (Logan's Story)
This is the story of a girl named Logan who persevered through her brain injury to create a magazine for other kids with disabilities and inspire them to achieve their dreams and goals.
Concussion Recovery: Parents Play Important Role
Key steps for families to take.
Hold My Hand
Read how one mother found hundreds of strangers to help her care for her son with a brain injury.
How to Talk to Children About Brain Injury
Strategies to help your children understand all the changes happening after a brain injury in the family.
Children with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Parents' Guide
Learn to help your child adjust after a TBI.
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BrainLine.org is a WETA website funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center through a contract with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. Government funding support is not an endorsement of WETA or any of its products, including this website.
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