Brain Injury Program

When the appointment is arranged, you will receive an explanation about the specific services recommended for your child and how to go about contacting your doctor for the appropriate referrals. This information will also be mailed to you and your child's doctor.

Please bring the following items to the appointment:

• Your child's insurance card
• Your child's Social Security card
• Driver's license of the guardian
• Name, address, and phone number for your child's pediatrician
• Referral form and authorization number from your insurance company, if needed
• List of all medications and herbal therapy presently being taken by your child.
• Copies of all test results, recent X-rays, CT and/or MRI scans that pertain to your child's visit and that were done at a facility other than Children's Hospital Boston.

• Physiatry
• Neurosurgery
• General surgery
• Neurology and anesthesia
• Neuropsychology
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech/Communication enhancement

Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty that diagnoses and treats brain or spinal cord injuries.

General surgery
General surgery specialists in trauma diagnose and treat injured children and manage complications and the effects of injury.

Neurology and Anesthesia
A physician from neurology and anesthesia specializes in the management of brain, spine and nerve disorders, including headaches and pain syndromes.

Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology is a specialty area of psychology that applies knowledge of brain functioning in understanding how children think, learn, and manage their behavior. Learning, memory, organization, attention, and the regulation of emotions are all areas that may be affected by a brain injury. At the clinic, the neuropsychologist provides consultation around these issues with the medical team and family. The goal of this consultation is to determine whether further evaluation is warranted and to provide the family with feedback and recommendations as needed to promote the child's personal, social, and educational functioning.

Physical therapy (PT)
The role of the physical therapist is to asses your child's muscle strength, range of motion, balance, and coordination. Based on these findings, the therapist may recommend a more thorough evaluation at the Children's physical therapy clinic or provide recommendations for continued therapy at a clinic close to home.

Occupation therapy (OT)
An OT specialist addresses upper extremity injuries, fine motor difficulties, reduced self-care or play skills, difficulties with visual-perceptual or visual-motor skills, organizational abilities, or memory.

Contact Carole Atkinson at 617-355-5400, with any questions.

A few weeks after the appointment, you and your child's doctor will receive copies of the team's thorough evaluation and recommendations.