Perception

Physical	Communication	Cognitive	Behavioural / Emotional

Perception is the process within the brain of the interpretation of the information it is receiving through the senses. It is how we ‘see’ the world around us. This ability to process this sensory information may be damaged following a brain injury.

Sight is the sense most often disrupted following a brain injury. This may result in problems such as not being able to recognise objects or faces, losing the ability to see on one side, being unable to judge distances between the person and an object, or phenomena such as unilateral neglect which is a condition where a person may not be aware of the existence of one side of their body. Other senses such as hearing, taste, touch or smell can all be affected in various ways.

A brain injury can also affect the perception of time. We all have an inbuilt ‘clock’. Disruption of this sense of time may for example result in someone spending 4 hours in a shower and not be aware of how long they have been there.

"Families need to be properly supported as 'resilience' is key to delivering successful outcomes for children and young people."

Roberta De Pompeii; USA

Child 1 - Aged 14 and 3 years after a traumatic brain injury

	2019	2020	Change
REASONING	301/800	426/800	+ 125
MEMORY	181/800	304/800	+ 123
ATTENTION	463/800	573/800	+ 110
COORDINATION	47/800	309/800	+ 262
PERCEPTION	158/800	374/800	+ 216

"Often families don't have the financial capability to access services. We need to rethink how we deliver neuro-rehab services to children and young people"

Vicki Anderson; Australia

"We would like to see earlier identification and support for children with brain injuries to help them succeed in school."

Dalton Leong; Chief Executive of the Children's Trust

"Taking brain injured children home causes high stress for families. Disjointed services exacerbate family stress levels."

Deborah Andrews; New Zealand

"We need to harness the power of brain plasticity for treating children and young people with brain injury, especially at the key ages of 0-3 and at ages 10-16"

Professor Bryan Kolb; Canada

"There are problems with getting people into neuro-rehab. Those most in need are often those most excluded due to a lack of socio-economic resources."

Vicki Anderson; Australia

"More play increases brain plasticity and makes for better recovery post brain injury"

Professor Bryan Kolb; Canada

"With support parents cope better so the child has a better recovery"

Andrea Palacio-Navarro; Spain

"Too often children and young people with ABI are discharged from hospital without specialist brain support that they and their families need to overcome lifelong challenges"

Andrew Ross; former Chief Executive of the Children's Trust

OUR MISSION: To work to remove inequalities for children & young people affected by acquired brain injury; and provide effective support to their families that makes a real difference to their lives.