Brain Damage:Picture book and short film help children understand

What is happening in the brain, when it’s not working right? Pip and Milli explain it to children.

After brain damage, following a stroke or a trauma, the lives of patients and their families change dramatically. While adults are often overwhelmed by the symptoms, children have an even harder time understanding and coping. With a short film on anopsia or the loss of a visual field, and a picture book on stroke, the Neuropsychologisches Therapie Centrum (NTC – Neuropsychological Therapy Centre) has found new ways of helping children understand. As part of the exhibition of this year’s school painting competition (hosted by the International Graduate School of Neuroscience and Collaborative Research Centre 874) a short film and book were presented to the public for the very first time.

Children’s guide goes online

Making information about neuropsychological changes, which occur after brain damage, easy to understand, is the aim of a large-scale project coordinated by the NTC, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Boris Suchan. Following a neuropsychological online guide for adults (www.ratgeber-neuropsychologie.de), the NTC is now launching a guide aimed especially at children (www.dein-gehirn.com).

Pip and Milli are guides through the brain

Pip and Milli, two nerve impulses, explain for children what happens in the brain, when dad oversees obstacles, even though his sight is unaffected by his stroke. This phenomenon is highlighted in a short animated film, which was created in cooperation with the study programme Film & Sound at the University of Applied Sciences Dortmund under the guidance of Prof. Sandra Hacker and Harald Opel at the Laboratory for interactive film KiU. Pip and Milli lead the way through “Brainpolis” and explain what happens in the visual centre of this fictional city, when someone suffers from anopsia and is unable to see parts of their environment. The project has received funding from the Kroschke Kinderstiftung.

Traffic jam in grandad’s head

Another part of the NTC’s project is the picture book “Traffic jam in grandad’s head” available in several languages. It tells the story of Frida, whose grandad Gustav suffers from a stroke. In simple words the girl learns what this means and how her grandad’s life will now change. The book was designed by RUB student Monika Owczarek. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Boris Suchan and PD Dr. Patrizia Thoma she obtained her Bachelor degree in psychology with this book project.

Film and book series is planned

Film and book are the beginning of a series of publications. “We would be very glad, if both film and book reached a broad public”, says Boris Suchan, initiator of the project. “Of course, both have a very serious subject matter, but if you look closely, you will find a few things to smile about.”

Press contact:

Prof. Dr. Boris Suchan, Neuropsychologisches Therapie Centrum (NTC), Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Tel.: 0234 32 27575, E-Mail: boris.suchan@rub.de