Stroke

A stroke is caused by a rupture or blockage in the blood supply to the brain. A stroke is also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

Specialist Behaviour Support Services and Speech Pathology

Concept art showing a pulse in a brain suffering from stroke

Definition of Stroke

A stroke is caused by a rupture or blockage in the blood supply to the brain. A stroke is also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

 

Causes of Stroke

A stroke mainly occurs when the flow of blood or supply of blood to a section of the brain is interrupted suddenly and/or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, leaking blood into the spaces that surround brain cells. When blood flow to the brain stops or is interrupted it means the brain cells are not receiving blood oxygen and nutrients critical for their survival causing brain cells to die. It has also been noted that one of the major risks of stroke is high blood pressure or hypertension (Chong, 2020; NINDS; 2021; Sacco et al., 2013).

 

Types of Stroke

There are three main types of strokes. These are: 

  • Ischemic Stroke – these are strokes that occur when the flow of blood through the artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain becomes blocked, mainly due to blood clots.
  • Haemorrhagic Stroke – this is a type of stroke that happens when a brain artery breaks open (ruptures) and/or leaks blood and the leaked blood then causes pressure on the brain cells, causing damage to them. There are two main types of hemorrhagic stroke, namely: 
  • Intracerebral haemorrhage: this is the most prevalent type of hemorrhagic stroke and it occurs when a brain artery causing blood to flood surrounding tissue.
  • Subarachnoid haemorrhage; this is a less common type of hemorrhagic stroke. It refers to bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover it.
  • Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) – this kind of stroke is sometimes called a “mini-stroke” because it mainly occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked briefly or for a short period of time usually only a few minutes. 

(Chong, 2020; NINDS; 2021; Sacco et al., 2013).

 

Symptoms of Stroke

Some of the most common symptoms of a stroke are: 

  • Sudden difficulty walking, loss of balance, lack of coordination or sudden dizziness. 
  • Sudden difficulty speaking, sudden confusion or challenges understanding speech. 
  • Sudden difficulty or trouble with sight or seeing in one or both eyes 
  • Sudden numbness, strange sensations or feeling of weakness in some parts of the body such as the arm(s), leg(s) and face or paralysis, especially on one side of the body. 
  • Sudden severe headache with no identifiable cause or trigger.  

 (Chong, 2020; NINDS; 2021; Sacco et al., 2013).

 

References

Chong, Ji Y. (2020, April). Overview of Stroke. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stoke (2021, April 23). Stroke Information Page. NIH.

Sacco, R.L., Kasner, S.E., Broderick, J.P., Caplan, L.R., Connors, J.J., Culebras, A., Elkind, M.S.V., George, M.G., Hamdan, A.D., Higashida, R.T., Hoh, B.L., Janis, L.S., Kase, C.S., Kleindorfer, D.O., Lee J-M., Moseley, M.E., Peterson, E.D., Turan, T.N., Valderrama, A.L., & Vinters, H.V. (2013). An Updated Definition of Stroke for the 21st Century. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Stroke, 44(7), 2064-2089.

Behaviour Help

If you are supporting an individual with this diagnosis, please refer to our services and resources. They aim to help children, adolescents and adults achieve better communication, social, emotional, behavioural and learning outcomes. So whether you are wanting guidance on parenting, teaching, supporting or providing therapy, Behaviour Help is at hand.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all the possible causes, symptoms and types but some general information that can be further explored. Based on what you have read if you have any concerns about an individual, please raise them with the individual/s. The caregiver can then raise these concerns with their local doctor who can provide a referral to the relevant professional (e.g. paediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist, allied health professional and learning specialists) for diagnosis and treatment if appropriate.

Which resources are right for you?

Apps

Based on the Taking CHARGE of Rainbow of Emotions Workbook this app helps children of all ages develop emotional regulation skills. The app guides the child to firstly, identify and express their emotion in appropriate ways. Then the child is guided to use emotional management tool/s from the CHARGE tool kit to manage their emotions in a healthy way.

The acronym CHARGE stands for the different categories of emotional management tools – Chat tools, Helpful thinking tools, Amusement tools, Relaxation tools, Good routine tools and Exercise tools.

Behaviour Help App - Using the evidence-based approach of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), the Behaviour Help web-based app allows people supporting individuals with emotional and behavioural difficulties to complete a Functional Behaviour Analysis and put together a comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan (BSP). The BSP can then be used by everyone interacting with the individual to manage and prevent challenging behaviours and ultimately improve their lives, and the lives of those who support them.

Books

If you want to learn more about emotional and behavioural difficulties then we have a great range of books you can read on your Kindle or order from Amazon.

Coaching

Personalised and practical one to one help tailored specifically to your family.

Online Courses

Access these online courses anytime online to learn about a range of diagnoses, practical skills and strategies to help develop the individual’s emotional regulation skills. Also learn to utilise the positive behaviour support framework to address anxiety, aggression, ADHD, ASD and ODD.

SEL Educational Videos

Minimise or eliminate the occurrence of challenging behaviours by teaching children of all ages appropriate ways of communicating, interacting, managing their emotions and behaviours.

The SEL curriculum uses video modelling to provide direct, explicit and systematic teaching of the various skills by discussing the importance of the skill, modelling the skill so the child learns what the skill looks like? sounds like? feels like? and learn the skill in staged situations that simulate real life scenarios.

Therapy

Personalised and practical behaviour therapy tailored specifically to your family.

Webinars

Webinars discuss a range of practical strategies to guide your child learn positive ways of behaving and managing their emotions.

Workshops

Attend our practical and interactive workshops to learn about a range of diagnoses, practical skills and strategies to help develop the individual’s emotions, behaviours, social and communication skills in your learning environment.

Ask Dolly

Since you’re here, you probably have questions and concerns. I am Dolly Bhargava, am here to help. I am a NDIS registered behaviour support practitioner and speech pathologist.

I have worked in a number of settings for over 21 years so, how can I help?

Please tell me what is worrying you right now and I will do my best to recommend resources and/or services that will be most useful to you in your situation.

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