Learning and Memory Issues After a Traumatic Brain Injury

Learning and Memory Issues After a Traumatic Brain Injury

By:
Stephen M. Smith
|
Last Updated:
November 26, 2019
Best Law Firm logo
Unhappy sad man receiving the first aid.

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.

What is Cognition?

Cognition is defined as:

  • Processing and understanding information
  • Memory
  • The ability to communicate
  • Attention and concentration
  • Organizing, planning, and assembling
  • Reasoning, problem-solving, judgment and decision making
  • Patience and controlling impulses and desires

How a Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Learning, Memory and Cognition

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.

Some of the main issues experienced include:

1. Problems Processing Information

After a traumatic brain injury, sufferers may find it difficult to comprehend and understand basic things they took for granted before. They often:

  • 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

2. Issues with Attention and Concentration

If you suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may experience issues with focusing, paying attention or doing more than one task at any given time. People with a TBI may:

  • Be restless and easily distracted;
  • Find it hard to carry on a long conversation or to sit for periods of time;
  • Not be able to work on more than one project at any given time.

3. Problems with Driving After a Brain Injury

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.

4. Language and Communication Issues After a TBI

If you have suffered from a brain injury, your communication and language skills may be impacted. Brain injury victims often:

  • Fail to think of the right word;
  • Experience difficulty initiating or following conversations or understanding what other people are saying;
  • Find it hard to communicate their thoughts using facial expressions and other forms of non-verbal communication;
  • Ramble or get off of topic easily during conversations;
  • Find mastering more complicated language skills to be a challenge;
  • Experience issues reading other people’s emotions and not responding properly to the views or feelings of other people in social settings;
  • Misunderstand jokes or sarcasm.

5. TBI Sufferers Face Memory Issues

People who suffered brain damage may have a hard time processing new information and recalling other information. They may:

  • 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.

6. Brain Injuries and Problem Solving

People who suffer a TBI often find it hard to work out everyday problems. For example:

  • 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.

7. Brain Injury Victims May Behave Inappropriately

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.

  • Lack self-control and self-awareness in social settings
  • 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.

An attorney can build up your case. Stephen Smith of the Smith Law Center set up the Brain Injury Law Center. He points out it is the only law firm in the United States dedicated exclusively to representing brain injury victims, survivors and their families. Our results include a $60 million verdict to a man who suffered a brain injury in Williamsburg. Call us at (757) 244-7000.

Lawyers at Smith Law Center

About Smith Law Center

Our lawyers are more than lawyers. They are people who understand your injuries and the law that surrounds your options when it comes to holding others accountable.
ABOUT US

What Our Clients Are Saying About Us

Tony Laizure, Principal Laizure Law
Google logo

I have had the immense pleasure to work with Stephen M. Smith many times over the years, and every case ends in success for the client. He is so passionate about his clients and cares deeply about them.

Anonymous (Former Client)
Google logo

They treat you with respect & compassion every step of the way…

Jonathan Wren
Google logo

Great firm. Stephen, David, and their team did a wonderful job representing a brain-injured client I referred to them for hard-fought case against a trucking company in federal court.

Shannon Laymon-Pecoraro
Google logo

I have the pleasure of working with the team at the Smith Law Center regularly. They are well rounded, and their commitment to their clients is top notch.

Donna
Google logo

… your firm is personally responsible for taking what was a horrible tragedy and transforming it into a legacy…

Joe
Google logo

… [Mr. Smith's] style of representation was impeccable, classy, and he cleverly executed every facet of the case …

Nancy
Google logo

… I really can’t thank you enough for securing the damages to which I was entitled …

Marybeth
Google logo

… I am beyond grateful for their caring manner, their legal prowess, and their attention to detail …

Tom
Google logo

Although this card is rather small, the “Thank You” isn’t small at all … You will never know what this money has meant to us. It does not remove the affects of the stroke, but makes things somewhat better …

Tammy & John
Google logo

… For such a large firm, we received very personal care. We will always recommend you highly! …

Angelicia S
Google logo

I had the pleasure of working with Attorney Gill. He was very professional and made the process worth the while. This law firm cares about their clients and it shows. Thank you all for going over and beyond.

Erin L
Google logo

I was very happy with the Smith Law Center. They are professional, attentive and will truly fight for you. The entire office is very nice and communicates throughout the whole process. Mr. Gill is fantastic as well as the paralegals and the other administration team.

Mike S
Google logo

David Holt did an excellent job dealing with a largely uncooperative insurance adjuster. He explored all avenues of recovery, their fees were fair and, once settled, payment was prompt. Five stars all the way.

Christin S
Google logo

Working with David and Lisa was a wonderful experience. I was overwhelmed by their kindness and efficiency.

Kevin Mottley
Google logo

I have had the pleasure of working alongside Stephen Smith, David Holt, and Stewart Gill for several years now, representing traumatic brain injury survivors in fights against insurance companies. These guys are a pleasure to work with and are true trial lawyers who fight for their clients day in and day out in court.

Andy H
Google logo

The attorneys and staff at Smith Law Center are great to work with. They care not only about a successful recovery, but ensuring their clients know what options are available for protecting the recovery long-term.

Shaminece H.
Google logo

The team and my attorney were so friendly. They were always available to help me or answer my questions, and the process wasn’t long at all. I’m so grateful for the services they gave me and for treating me like family.

Shannon L
Google logo

... I have the pleasure of working with the team at the Smith Law Center regularly ... They are well rounded, and their commitment to their clients is top notch.

Andy H
Google logo

... The attorneys and staff are great to work with ... They care not only about a successful recovery, but ensuring their clients know what options are available for protecting the recovery long-term.

Jonathan B
Google logo

... Mr. Smith helped us get a settlement fast, and things are much better now ...Without Stephen’s help I’d probably be dead and penniless. I am a brain injury survivor. On the 4th of July weekend (in 2004), my life was turned inside out when I was hit on my motorcycle. My brother-in-law was searching for brain injury specialists and happened to find Mr. Smith. And he was a lawyer too! Mr. Smith helped us get a settlement fast, and things are much better now.