Some books are even more specific and provide opportunities to discuss feelings about disability and friendship. How this boy demonstrates his abilities and handles a bully may be the focus of a classroom conversation about differences and seeing past them. Similarly, Princess Pooh depicts the jealously of a girl whose sister uses a wheelchair and gets all the attention. Her family also realizes that she has felt left out and makes new efforts to include her. Again, this book can be the source of some family conversations about roles and feelings that enable family members to understand each other and make necessary adaptations in their attitudes and behaviors.
Games can also be therapeutic.
They accomplish the goal of providing a comfortable, fun, and predictable way for peers to interact without awkwardness from friends not understanding how to respond to differences in a peer after injury. Games can be chosen that minimize the impact of the injury on performance, such as choosing a verbal game like Outburst for a child who has trouble manipulating small game pieces or choosing a demanding fine motor game like Jenga or Don't Break the Ice for a child who has speech difficulties, but fine motor and attentional skills. Again, by providing structure and comfort, the game may also provide opportunities to talk about changes without feeling overwhelmed by them. Denies problems Seems unmotivated and passive Sidebar 2 Not surprisingly, in the initial days after a child has a brain injury, the attention of everyone is typically focused on the child who was injured. The severity of post-injury sequelae may dictate that the attention of the family continue to focus on the child's recovery and rehabilitation for long periods of time.