Glossary of Rehabilitation Terms

Traumatic brain injury: A head injury is a broad term that describes injuries that occur to the scalp, skull, brain, and underlying tissue and blood vessels in the child's head. Head injuries are also commonly referred to as brain injury, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), depending on the extent of the head trauma. The injury can be as mild as a bump, bruise (contusion), or cut on the head, or can be moderate to severe in nature due to a concussion, deep cut or open wound, fractured skull bone(s), or from internal bleeding and damage to the brain.

Concussion: A concussion is an injury to the head area that may cause instant loss of awareness or alertness for a few minutes up to a few hours after the traumatic event.

Contusion: A contusion is a bruise to the brain. A contusion causes bleeding and swelling inside of the brain around the area where the head was struck.

Skull fracture: A skull fracture is a break in the skull bone.

Aphasia: Difficulty talking or understanding language

Brain Stem: The lower part of the brain that is important for movements of the eyes and body, alertness and breathing

Cerebellum: Back part of the brain that is important for coordination

Dysphagia: Trouble eating or swallowing that can result from lack of muscle coordination, weakness and/or impairment

Frontal Lobe: The largest area of the brain that controls movement of the body's muscles, talking and is responsible for many parts of a person's personality

Hemiparesis: Weakness affecting one side of the body

Occipital Lobe: The back part of the brain that is important for vision

Parietal Lobe: The part of the brain that is important for feeling things and for being aware of your surroundings

Seizure: Uncontrolled movements or change in behavior caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain

Temporal Lobe: Part of the brain that is important for understanding language and for hearing

Thalamus: Part of the brain that coordinates information from other parts of the brain. Injury to the thalamus can cause problems with movement, sensation, seeing, hearing, memory or level of alertness.

Visual Field Cut: A loss of vision on one side caused by brain injury