Some of the common changes that occur after a brain injury may affect school performance.
Physical effects
- Seizures
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- Headaches
- Sensory overload
- Dizziness
- Decreased motor control/coordination
- Bumping into things
Psychosocial and behavioral effects
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Social isolation
- Disinhibition
- Loss of self esteem
- Aggression
- Hostility
- Impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility
- Faulty or poor judgment
Cognitive effects
- Reduced attention and concentration
- Decreased short-term memory
- Reduced speed of processing
- Executive functioning difficulties: organization; abstract reasoning, flexibility, planning, initiation, self-monitoring
Communication effects
- Difficulty processing language
- Difficulty following a rapid rate of speech
- Following and maintaining a conversation
- Weak organization and expression of ideas
- Abstract language – cannot “get” jokes, expressions, metaphors
- Difficulty keeping up with the flow of information
- Shifting to new topics requires time