How to Tell If a Young Child Has a Concussion After Injury

If you or a loved one was recently in a car accident, a head concussion (now classified as a traumatic brain injury) could very well be an injury a child has sustained. The signs and symptoms in adults are generally straightforward because an adult can often describe and verbalize what they are feeling and experiencing.

In a child, these signs and symptoms are not always straightforward because children can often not verbalize what they are feeling. According to the Mayo Clinic, non-verbal cues in children are:

• Appearing dazed
• Listlessness and tiring easily
• Irritability and crankiness
• Loss of balance and unsteady walking
• Crying excessively
• Change in eating or sleeping patterns
• Lack of interest in favorite toys

If your child was involved in an auto accident and these symptom are persistent after 1-2 days, follow up with your child’s pediatrician.

If the following symptoms occur after a head injury, seek emergency care immediately:

• Vomiting
• Loss of consciousness longer than 30 seconds
• A headache that gets worse over time
• Changes in behavior, such as irritability
• Changes in physical coordination, such as stumbling or clumsiness
• Confusion or disorientation, such as difficulty recognizing people or places
• Slurred speech or other changes in speech
• Seizures
• Vision or eye disturbances, such as pupils that are bigger than normal (dilated pupils) or pupils of unequal sizes
• Lasting or recurrent dizziness
• Obvious difficulty with mental function or physical coordination
• Symptoms that worsen over time
• Large head bumps or bruises on areas other than the forehead in children, especially in infants under 12 months of age

If you or your child were injured in a motor vehicle accident and suffered from a concussion, the attorneys at McEnery Price Messey & Sullivan can help you file your claim.