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Each year, about 1 in 500 children sustain an injury to the brain serious enough to require hospitalization. Boys are twice as likely as girls to sustain a TBI. Youth between the ages of 15 and 19 are the most likely to sustain a TBI.

An estimated 3,000 children and youth die from TBI each year.
29,000 children and youth are hospitalized due to TBI each year.
400,000 children and youth are treated in hospital emergency departments each year. ^{1, 2}

By age 16, about 4 out of every 100 boys and 2.5 out of every 100 girls have sustained a TBI. ³

Most injuries occur in motor vehicle crashes when the child is a pedestrian, bicyclist, or passenger. Other causes include falls, sports-related injuries, gunshot wounds, and physical abuse including Shaken Baby Sudden Impact Syndrome.

Children 4 years old and younger are most likely to be injured in falls.
5-19 year olds are most likely to be injured in transportation-related incidents.
15-19 year olds have the highest rate of firearm-related injuries. ^{1, 2}

As a result of TBI, 30,000 children are left with long-lasting, significant alterations in social, behavioral, physical, and cognitive functioning that impacts their ability to learn and perform in various life domains.⁴ Brain injuries may affect children in many ways.

Physical changes:

Fatigue
Headaches
Balance & mobility difficulties
Sensory impairments (e.g., vision, hearing)

Changes in personality, mood and behavior:

Depression and anxiety
Low frustration tolerance
Impulsivity and disinhibition

Changes that affect academic performance:

Difficulty learning and remembering new things
Difficulty integrating new and old learning
Trouble paying attention and staying focused
Difficulty planning and following through with tasks

¹Langlois, J.A. Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Assessing Outcomes in Children. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001.

²Appendix B: Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Youth as a Public Health Problem: An Overview Presented by Dr. David Thurman, CDC in Langlois, J.A. Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Assessing Outcomes in Children. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001.

³Christensen, JR. What is Traumatic Brain Injury? in Children with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Parent's Guide, Schoenbrodt, L (Ed). New York: Woodbine House, 2001.

⁴Research and Training Center in Rehabilitation and Childhood Trauma. National Pediatric Trauma Registry at Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center, 1993.