No matter where the path begins that may ultimately lead to a brain injury, the most common end result is a decrease of oxygen to the brain. This can occur from any number of traumatic events during pregnancy, delivery, or through illness or injury during childhood. The developmental histories of children with learning problems show babies who were premature or postmature with delayed or prolonged labors, to children who experienced high fevers or falls during their infancy. Brain scans are a wonderful tool to locate tumors or cysts or other gross abnormalities, but they do not give a complete picture of the brain and how it is functioning. There are many brain-injured children with very serious problems whose brain scans look relatively normal.
Brain injury is a matter of degree in all human beings.
A child who is severely brain-injured may have significant problems both intellectually and physically. In fact, a child who is only mildly brain-injured may also have coordination problems and learning problems, but these problems will be to a much milder degree. Such a child may appear to be as capable as the next child, but he cannot actually perform as well in life even though he is trying very hard to keep up with his peers. Both the severe child and the mild child are brain-injured, but neither child is hopeless. Both need an effective neurological program to treat the brain.