Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2016 75 know how to skillfully disrupt a bullying event and still maintain social credibility. Defenders are hard people to come by, especially in the developmental chaos of early adolescence. Bullying is bad for everybody. Victims are at risk for suicide, mood changes, and destructive behavior intended to be self-soothing. In addition to the more obvious social and emotional consequences for victims, bullying causes a sense of powerlessness in bystanders, and it impairs the genuine social skills of the aggressors. Since young people form their ideas of intimacy and relationships during this time, bullying has a deep impact on how they define roles for the future. What can parents do about it? Look for signs your child is being bullied. Don’t assume that irritable or acting-out behavior stems from “normal” adolescent moodiness. Find out what’s happening at school and in cyberspace. Protect your child by monitoring the use of technology (use limits to teach your child how to handle difficulties, not avoid them altogether). Recognize when your own child may be the bully. Notice if your child is manipulative, controlling, or denies responsibility for his or her actions. Train your child to be a defender. Model behavior that is accepting of differences in others, and teach your son or daughter how to intervene and support others in ways that minimize their own risk in a social situation. Don’t be afraid to seek help from school staff or other professionals. continued from EverydayBullying | Page 59 Research shows that parents and caregivers who spend at least 15 minutes a day talking with their child can build the foundation for a strong relationship and help prevent bullying. The time you spend will help boost your children’s confidence and build effective strategies for facing bullying—whether the children are being bullied, engaging in bullying, or witnessing bullying. Takeafewminutesand“checkin”byaskingaboutschool,theirfriends, and any challenges they face. The app, KnowBullying, has simple conversation starters to begin a discussion with your child. KNOWBULLYING APP Downloadatstore.samhsa.gov/apps/knowbullying TheAppincludes: •ConversationStarters-Starteasy,meaningfulconversations with your children. •Tips-Learnstrategiestopreventbullyingforages3-6,7-13, and older teens. • Warning Signs - Recognize if your child is engaging in bullying, being bullied, or witnessing bullying. • Reminders - Talk with your child when the time feels right—aquietmomentonthewaytoschooloragame,during dinner, or relaxing outside. • Social Media - Share successful strategies and useful advice via Facebook,Twitter, email, and text messages. • Section for Educators - Prevent bullying in the classroom and support children who are being bullied. Medical management of concussion requires early evaluation by (pediatric) neurologists, pediatricians, physiatrists and neuropsychologists. The diagnostic studies should include imaging as well as neuropsychiatric assessment. It’s important to inform and work with the patient’s school system or employer, family members and caregivers. Some patients require accommodations to their school or work schedules. Speech, occupational, cognitive, vocational and avocational therapies can help to address individual needs. Those therapists and physicians should provide guidance regarding sleep, diet, exercise and especially—how to avoid further cranial trauma. Concussion should be considered a serious brain injury. While it is not necessarily associated with a direct threat to someone’s life, it is commonly associated with significant alterations to the injured person’s daily life. With the proper attention and intervention, the outlook is invariably improved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occurred on average each year in the U.S. during 2002 to 2006. Of these brain injuries, 45,000 to 50,000 people do not survive. Roughly 50% of the survivors may return to baseline functioning in 6 months. After the first year post-trauma, approximately 85% return to pre-traumatic function. After one year, however, there will remain 10%-15% of the brain injured, who will have residual problems of varying degrees. These problems can range widely and include memory problems, anger outbursts, alteration of personality and negative impact upon day-to-day functioning. These problems could last a lifetime, with variable persistent impairments and handicap. If these symptoms persist, Post Traumatic Encephalopathy then becomes the diagnostic term, implying persistent pathological changes to the brain Roughly 200,000 patients with concussion with varying persistent impairments of brain function enter the health care population each year. Even those who recover within one year have required months of extensive therapy following the trauma. Patients with the poorer outcome include patients with a history of prior brain injury, those who had sustained other injuries such as to the face, jaw, eye, ear, neck, skull and other organ systems. continued from OurAmazingBrain | Page 55