Understanding the injury and its implications
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Non-traumatic brain injury: Support a return to learning and activity’
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On this page:
Current page section: Understand the injury
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Go to top of current page: Understand the injury
Go to top of current page: Understand the injury
What is a non-traumatic brain injury?
What is a non-traumatic brain injury?
A non-traumatic brain injury is caused by a condition or an illness within the body.
It may for example, be caused by a stroke, a tumour, choking, an infection, or cancer treatments.
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Get to know the whānau story
Get to know the whānau story
Closed Captions
The experience of the child or young person
The experience of the child or young person
The effects of a non-traumatic brain injury will vary from person to person and can result in any or all of these outcomes.
- Changes in thinking, behaviour and personality, physical abilities, and sensory perceptions
- Feelings of fear, anxiety, loss or confusion, and frustration
- Difficulty communicating needs or thoughts and ideas
- Extreme tiredness
Source: The Children’s Trust for Children with Brain Injury (opens in a new tab/window)
Siblings’ experiences
Siblings’ experiences
Siblings or whānau members may experience:
- feelings of unfairness – it might be difficult for them to understand why their brother or sister is being treated differently to them
- worry, anxiety, and sadness about their parents or their brother or sister
- feelings of wanting to protect their sibling
- confusion and misunderstanding about the brain injury
- difficulty understanding changes in their sibling’s personality or behaviour
- embarrassment about the injured child’s behaviour and may be wary about having friends at the house
- feelings that they’re not being told about what’s going on, or being “kept out of the loop”
- feeling left out or forgotten
- feeling guilty about what’s happened (sometimes called “survivor guilt”)
- feeling guilty about expressing their own feelings because they don’t want to add to the burden on their parents
- a sense of loss that their sibling seems different.
Source: The Children’s Trust for Children with Brain Injury (opens in a new tab/window)
Be aware of new challenges for whānau
Be aware of new challenges for whānau
Families may face many of these unexpected situations and challenges.
- The shock of the initial brain injury may involve coping with intensive care treatment.
- The cognitive, behavioural, and emotional effects of a brain injury can be more limiting and harder to accept and overcome than the physical injuries, both for the person who has sustained the injury and for their family and friends.
- Unplanned for financial and legal costs have to be managed.
- They may experience isolation.
- They may have to deal with multiple agencies, including ACC, hospitals, and WINZ.
- They have to adjust to the changes in the person with brain injury and how these affect other family members and friends.
- They may experience stress related to caring for the injured person.
Source: Headway: Brain Injury Auckland (opens in a new tab/window)
Useful resources
Useful resources
Non-traumatic brain injury
This webpage provides information about the causes of non-traumatic brain injury.
Publisher: The Children's Trust for Children with Brain Injury
Coping with brain injury for friends and family
Read time: 4 min
This resource suggests strategies for helping in the recovery of a person with a brain injury and looking after yourself at the same time.
Publisher: Brain Injury NZ
Download PDF
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Non-traumatic brain injury: Support a return to learning and activity”:
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Current page Understand the injury
Return to the guide “Supporting learners with acquired brain injury”
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How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: Acquired brain injury and learning
Understand:
- Understand the basics about ABI
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Understand impacts on learning and wellbeingShow suggestions for Understand impacts on learning and wellbeing
Strategies for action:
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Review leadership and governance responsibilitiesShow suggestions for Review leadership and governance responsibilities
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Concussion: Support a return to learning and activityShow suggestions for Concussion: Support a return to learning and activity
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Support a return to learning and activityShow suggestions for Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Support a return to learning and activity
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Non-traumatic brain injury: Support a return to learning and activityShow suggestions for Non-traumatic brain injury: Support a return to learning and activity
