Learning and memory issues are often experienced by people who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an auto accident, a slip and fall or another kind of accident. These issues are among a range of cognitive problems a TBI sufferer may experience.
Brain injuries are complicated by their very nature. Not all cognitive problems experienced after brain trauma may be obvious from the outset. While some problems may improve with time, others are permanent.
Cognition is the act of thinking or knowing. We take the ability to understand, make choices, remember and use information for granted. The sufferer of a traumatic brain injury may experience cognitive deficits that are obvious or more subtle.
If you sustain a TBI, you should talk to a brain injury lawyer with expertise in this highly specialized area. The Smith Law Center has helped clients with very severe and life-threatening brain injuries across the United States.
· Processing and understanding information.
· The ability to communicate.
· Organizing, planning, and assembling.
· Patience and controlling impulses and desires.
It is common for accident victims who suffer a TBI to experience issues with concentration and memory in the days after sustaining a blow to the head. Other functions like speech and language, reasoning, learning and memory, planning and problem-solving may also be impacted.
· Take more time than before to grasp what other people are saying.
· Take more time to understand and follow basic directions.
· Experience trouble reading books, newspapers or magazines.
· Find it hard to follow the plot line in a film or a TV show.
· Not be able to work on more than one project at any given time.
People who have suffered a brain injury may find their reaction time slows. This may be a major problem when they are driving. If a TBI sufferer can no longer react quickly to red lights or stop signs, they should not be on the roads until their visual skills and reaction time have been tested by a specialist.
· Misunderstand jokes or sarcasm.
· Struggle to remember new information and events.
· Experience difficulty remembering events that occurred several weeks or months prior to the injury. This information may occur to them later. People with brain injuries often remember events from years ago very clearly.
· People with TBI may struggle to recognize the existence of a problem in the first place. This is the first step in problem-solving.
· They may struggle to analyze information or to be flexible enough to change the way they think.
· They may rush to quick solutions and decisions without thinking through the potential consequences of their actions.
· When working out problems, they may struggle to decide on the best solution or get fixated on one solution while disregarding all others.
A brain injury can cause people to behave rudely and inappropriately in social settings. A TBI can remove social filters on behavior. People who suffered a TBI may.
· Deny they are suffering from cognitive problems even when it’s obvious they are suffering from issues related to their TBI.
· Say hurtful and inappropriate things to family and friends.
· Lack awareness of social boundaries and the feelings of other people and not be conscious they have made people uncomfortable.
Learning, Memory and Other Issues After a Traumatic Brain Injury – What Can Be Done?
Help people with a TBI by decreasing distractions and encouraging them to master one task.
Practice building attention skills such as reading a short story with them. Gradually make the task more challenging. Re-read information if possible to build concentration skills.
If a family member or a friend has suffered a TBI, be patient. Use a gentle tone of voice and ask the person frequently if they are understanding what you are telling them.
Develop a system to indicate to a TBI sufferer when they have gone off topic. People who have suffered a TBI benefit from one-to-one attention and quiet, non-chaotic environments.
Be organized and develop a structured routine for people who are suffering cognitive issues from a brain injury. It can help to use memory aids like calendars, daily schedules, notebooks and reminder cards. Additional tips can be found on the website of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia.
How Can Memory and Concentration Issues After a Brain Injury Be Proved?
Memory and concentration issues after a brain injury and other cognitive disorders can impact your quality of life. Although these issues may recede over time, they can be permanent.
It is important to document all of these changes when you are involved in a lawsuit against a party accused of causing an accident. Doctors may rule out a traumatic brain injury based solely on a negative MRI or CT-scan of the brain when one is present after an accident.
Tests of this nature are not always rigorous enough to detect certain brain injuries. If a loved one shows marked changes after an accident, you should continue to seek medical advice because a doctor may have missed signs of a TBI.