Børnecenter for Rehabilitering (BCfR), or in English Children’s Rehabilitation Centre, is a specialised neurorehabilitation clinic, for children and adolescents with mild, moderate or severe brain injury, acquired between the age of 1 and 18.
The acquired brain injury can have a multitude of causes, for instance stroke, brain tumour, infection or head trauma. The sequelae following the brain injury may involve cognitive, behavioural, communicative, educational and/or physical functions and will typically affect the child’s or adolescent’s daily life in a mulititude of ways.
The Rehabilitation Centre has a neuropsychologically based multidisciplinary approach. The professionals working at the BCfR are child neuropsychologists, speech therapists, special education teachers, pedagogues, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
The neurorehabilitation programme is planned according to the individual needs of the child and is based upon a multidisciplinary examination performed during a two to three weeks period. The aim of the examination is to thoroughly identify the child’s difficulties and remaining resources.
The neurorehabilitation programme can either take place daily at the centre for a longer and concentrated period of time, typically 6-12 months, or in the child’s local setting e.g. school, day care or home. The programme, which is planned individually for each child, can include:
The family is considered a crucial part of the rehabilitation and is as a whole involved in the rehabilitation process. The relatives are offered counselling and guidance from a neuropsychologist and/or other professionals. The family is also offered participation in psycho-educational and support groups. Relatives and friends of both the child and the family can also be involved in the rehabilitation, depending on the needs of the child and the family.
BCfR stays in contact with the children until they are 18 years old, with regular follow-up examinations. The child is, as a minimum and according to its individual needs, offered re-examination annually until the age of 7, around puberty (age 12) and before adulthood (age 17). The follow-ups are considered important examinations to identify and react to possible newly emerged problems ensuring the child’s development and family support.
The Rehabilitation Centre is situated in Virum, about 15 kilometres north of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The children and adolescents mainly come from the Eastern part of Denmark and from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands. The capacity is about 16-20 children and adolescents.