This page is part of a whole section on brain injury [1]. You might also find some of the other content helpful.
Your child may experience a variety of symptoms or difficulties following a brain injury - it depends on:
Most children who have a mild traumatic brain injury (also called a concussion) get better within 2 to 3 weeks, although they can take a little longer.
Symptoms you may notice include:
You can also check Caring for your child after their head injury (PDF, 2.64MB) [2] for advice on:
Your doctor or hospital staff can also give you advice. If your child has more symptoms or they are taking a while to improve, they may need to see a concussion service funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
Children who have a more serious brain injury (whether through an accident or illness) can have longer-term symptoms. These can continue to affect them after they have left the hospital. Common long-term symptoms include tiredness (or fatigue) and changes in thinking, behaviour and emotions.
Read more on mental fatigue after brain injury [3]
Other physical symptoms can include:
Children may have difficulties with their thinking (also called cognitive difficulties). These can include:
Read more about difficulties with concentration after brain injury [4]
Your child may experience behavioural and emotional changes, such as:
The content on this page has been developed and approved by the Paediatric Rehabilitation Team and the Clinical Neuropsychology Team, Consult Liaison, Starship Child Health.
This page last reviewed 06 March 2023.
Email us [11] your feedback
Links
[1] https://kidshealth.org.nz/tags/brain-injury
[2] https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/im-injured/9a24662804/ACC6009-Caring-for-your-child-after-their-head-injury.pdf
[3] https://kidshealth.org.nz/brain-injury-mental-fatigue
[4] https://kidshealth.org.nz/brain-injury-difficulties-concentration-taking-information
[5] https://kidshealth.org.nz/node/2495
[6] https://www.inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/brain-injury/changes-to-physical-wellbeing
[7] https://www.inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/brain-injury/changes-to-cognition-and-thinking-processes
[8] https://www.inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/brain-injury/effects-of-abi-on-stages-of-development
[9] https://www.inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/brain-injury/changes-to-emotions-social-skills-behaviour-and-wairua
[10] https://kidshealth.org.nz/node/2427
[11] https://kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fkidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F2434