My brain injury was much later, but also frontal lobe. I was 17. I had and still have the symptoms that you described, but they were more intense in the months immedietly after.
I still suffer from not having full control of my emotions and impulsiveness. Concentration can be trained and learned I believe, and in my non professional opinion I suggest that you start early with your kids. Get them to read more, introduce better planning skills so that they adapt to any problems they may have later in life when things are more demanding.

Thank you for this post. I wish I had seen it earlier -- somehow I missed all the posts after June last year. We started having our daughter see a behavior therapist, and I've also been doing a lot of reading on how to help children develop executive function skills. I'm hoping that maybe, if we work on these things now, it will help her as she gets older.

Hi there -- For some reason I didn't see this message until just now, many months after you posted it. I wanted to thank you for posting.

It's now been over a year since my daughter's concussion. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but she is steadily improving. On the cognitive front, she still has some lingering memory and attention deficits, but I have faith that those things will continue to improve. Behaviorally, she is improving too, though there have been ups and downs. (The behavioral stuff was much, much more stressful to me than the cognitive issues -- for a while, it really seemed like she wasn't the same child anymore, and that was heartbreaking.) She still seems different -- less thoughtful, a little hyper, etc. -- but I see signs of her old self coming back.

I guess my daughter's concussion wasn't as severe as your son's, because she didn't receive any of the kind of care you're describing. (She did receive a neuropsych evaluation, and has been seeing a behavior therapist, but that was all because I'm kind of insane and really pushed for it.) I actually wish I could have had her in a helmet for the past year, because she has had some more (minor) bumps to the head since then, just from normal kid activities. And with each bump, her symptoms seemed to flare up again (as you mentioned with your son).

It is a little nerve-wracking -- I don't want to be the kind of parent that views everything as dangerous, but seriously so many things seem like potential causes of head injuries to me now. And it worries me, because I wonder what kind of new damage is occurring each time. But she generally seems to be improving.

Anyway, I am really, really grateful for your post. It's one of the most reassuring things that I've read in all this time, because it really seems that you guys went through a lot of what we're dealing with, and that your son has turned out great. You have no idea how much I appreciate it, and all the information you provided. I do have a few more random questions that I'd love to ask if you have time, and if you ever check back here. But what I really want to say is thank you, and I hope your son continues to do well.

After reading very informative posts, I can reflect on my past childhood in which three significant head injuries occurred.

1st at the age of 5 or 6, I slipped on wet concrete and was unconscious for 1 or 2 days.(This is what I was told) All I remember is waking up in my bed. I am not aware of seeing any doctor at the time.

2nd Head injury aged about 6 or 7 was a front on head on collision with another child in the school ground. I split open a gash over my right eye and bled profusely.

3rd Head injury when I was 9, I had a piece of timber thrown at me which hit me above my left high, which was greatly swollen.

4th Head Injury was in the same year aged 9, when a boy threw a rock which landed on top of my head.

in 2007 I had a cat scan, and the results showed an unusual enlarged frontal lobes.

I can be honest about my personality, in that I tend to be quiet, keep to myself. I have on and off bouts of not keeping focused on goals. I am very very aware of my self surrounding and extremely self conscious. I have to fight my fears when it comes to public speaking, dont like to go out on my own to functions. I consider my self a bright and intelligent person, yet, I failed to achieve good grades in my final years of High school, Failed to complete my University Degree, Marriage failed in Divorce.

In those years of my child hood, with the head injuries, never have I been assessed for possible brain injury. It is only till receiving my cat scan in 2007 with the report stating that I have enlarged frontal lobes,and reading these posts and articles regarding concussion and its impact on a child's brain development, can I know see the correlation with brain injury and my own self personality.

I would be really interested to know where in Brisbane/Gold Coast Australia I can get some assistance.

Thank you

Hello, I am new to this forum. While investigating the very same question you have asked, this thread jumped out at me.
I was a very young, naive mom when my son, at age 18mos, fell very hard and hit his forehead on the cement. He didn't lose consciousness, but after the initial trauma he fell several more times over the course of several months re-injuring the forehead in the same spot, I believe because his reflexes appeared to be diminished for some time following the initial injury. His pediatrician recommended nothing, accept putting a helmet on him. No suggestion of concussion. No follow up. He eventually stopped falling, but developed a calcium deposit on his forehead which remained for about 7 years.
He is now 19 years old. He is a big teddy-bear with a big heart. But he also suffers terrible mood swings which appear out of the blue and has a very difficult time controlling his anger and frustration. He has very little impulse control, and has difficulty with filtering. He was coded throughout his school years as learning disabled due to very poor processing skills. He was not ADHD.
I suspect, and it has been suggested, that he may have developed lesions in the frontal lobe and possibly a similar calcium deposit may still remain on the inside of his skull, opposite the outside one, which could be applying pressure on the brain.
It has now affected him in his adult life to the point where I feel he should be tested and receive guidance specific to his injury. He was fired from his first job, and consequently arrested for an outburst a work. His former employer testified that his "impulsive behavior" was very out of character for him. He understands at this point that he may need to seek treatment in order to lead a normal life.
Now, 18 years later, and with more advanced research, we are finally making the connection between his childhood brain injury and his unwarranted behaviors.
Monitor your childs injury for lasting effects. As I said, I was young and naive, and didnt get the guidance and support I should have from his Doctor. Insist upon more testing and treatment if you feel it is needed. And be sure the injury and list of symptoms is on the childs medical record, and is noted at any and all future appointments so ALL physicians are aware of its possible connection to any illnesses or behaviors!! I cannot emphasize that enough!
Good Luck!!!

I have a 35 year old family member that that received a blow to the forehead by a see saw at the age of 3. He received a number of stitches to his head and no further treatment. Growing up he was labeled as a poor student and trouble maker. Fast forward 30+ years- he has chronic anxiety and panic attack episodes. Applying, interviewing, or even looking at want ads seems to be an impossible task, much to the frustration of his wife. With much coaching and support he has secured part time retail employment only to seemingly self-sabotage or quit. He exhibits impulsive behavior and has recently developed a gambling addiction which causes further financial stress on his wife of 10 + years. He doesn't seem to understand or care of the stress his love ones deal with. Often saying he's the victim because his wife want him to work and he thinks he should continue to go to school and work towards his "phd". He's been in school full time for over 8 years now and still has yet to pass and accumulate enough credits to even be considered a sophomore. With all this going on, they decided to go to counseling. While assessing his behavior and point of view; the counselor could not help but noticed the pronounced scarring on his forehead. It has been determined that a majority of his behavior exhibited over all these years is directly related to the frontal lobe injury from his accident at the age of 3. His wife, child, and family love him and will continue to support him, but we're not sure what to do now.

Thank you for posting this. I am so sorry for what happened to your son. It is heartbreaking to think how much this one incident changed his life, and how different things could have been for him. I guess one good thing about all the new research -- especially the research targeting soldiers with TBIs -- is that maybe there will be new and better treatments for people like your son.

And thank you for the advice. It seems like, until recently, doctors didn't provide any useful information to people after concussions or even consider the possibility of doing follow-up. (Even now, it's not easy to get the right information and find the right help.) I really don't understand why this is, considering how common this type of injury is.

Lillia,

I cannot stress enough that you locate a neuropschycologist and request that your daughter be evaluated for possible brain injury. My son experienced multiple concussions on the playground in grade school and experienced the exact same symptoms. He was diagnosed with Mild Traumatic brain injury and set up with an Individual Education Plan in school. I believe that brain injury is often misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD. A student with brain injury MUST BE EDUCATED IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY THAN A CHILD WITH ADD! My son is now 21. Trust me, please research head injury, find your state's chapter of the brain injury assocaiation, and be your child's advocate. You will not regret it in the future. Due to the fact that this is your child's first injury the quicker you get assistance the better off I believe you will be. We have had a very difficult path, but my son has overcome huge obstacles with good results due to my persistence to never give up! Best of luck to you and your dauchter.

In June 2011 my four year old decided to jump off my laundry basket which was on my bed onto a bean bag, he missed the bean bag a fell head first onto our cement floor. He was knocked out at the time for about two minutes, we rushed him to the hospital where he was examined by a doctor he also had a ct scan and xrays done. there was nothing found the doctor admitted him for the night as he refused to wake up. At 4am the next morning he woke up like nothing happened, he had no memory of what had happened to him. About three weeks later we noticed his behavior had changed he started to tweek and he is sensitive to certain sounds and noises he also cant have any tags on his clothing. I asked his doctor they said there was nothing wrong. I had him tested by the school and they said he showing very early signs of ADHD. Before the head injury he wasn't like this. Now september 2012 hes very hyper he cant sit still hes very moody and whines at every little thing, he doesn't sleep well at night and he forgets simple things like we had to teach him how to bathe himself again and he cant brush his own teeth. Im very fustrated with the doctors not giving me any direction on this subject so now Im doing my own research on this matter.
thanks

I suffered head injuries as a child aged 3, 8 and 10. The first and second were caused much loss of blood and required stitching in hospital and must have resulted in concussion although it was not diagnosed. The third one, from sporting accident at school, during a game of cricket, when another boy swung the bat fast and hard and it collided with the middle of my face breaking my nose resulting in loss of consciousness although I do not recall for how long. The school "nurse" simply allowed me to wake up naturally in the sick bay and as a result I was not taken to a doctor or hospital for this injury. It was the final day of primary school and my family were going away on holiday that evening. My injury was ignored by family, school and the medical profession for over three decades. I have struggled with life since my Childhood Head Injuries especially with making the right relationships and protecting myself from harmful individuals. I have survived by my own strengths and abilities. It is only recently that I researched the literature on Traumatic Brain Injury myself (research made possible by the existence of the internet) and discerned that my experiences of my condition matched exactly and in detail those described for TBI and specifically for injury to Frontal Lobes and more specifically to the Orbitofrontal Cortex. I have been able to have an assessment by a Neuropsychologist though I am aiming to have a second more thorough and exhaustive investigation by another independent more senior one.
I will try to be brief. Injury to this area of the brain can lead to impairment of perceptions of risk and around rule breaking. As a vulnerable child and later as a vulnerable whose injury had not been diagnosed I became the victim of serious crime and abuses. Timely diagnosis would have warned my parents give special protection to their most vulnerable child. Also head injury to a child affects the whole family and can disrupt the "family system". My family's system was disrupted though nobody understood why. This disruption continues to this day, 37 years later. Recognition of severity and significance of my brain injury could assist my own healing and assist in healing the other members of my family. Post-concussional syndrome meant I was less able to cope with trauma. My psychosocial development was impaired so I was bullied and had very few friends. When I was seventeen my emotional and behavioural problems and confusion were misattributed as a psychiatric disorder, a manic-depressive illness for which I have been taking medication since that time and those medicines are difficult to withdraw from even if you have no need for them. Also I know that TBI can result in emotional and behavioural complications. My question is :- Can somebody tell me of any books about the consequences of injury to the frontal lobes during childhood
( under 11)?