The Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injury

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Traumatic Brain Injury
A Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not caused by a congenital or degenerative nature, it is caused by a physical external force to the head that produces an altered state of consciousness that results in the impairment of cognitive and physical functioning. Depending on the extent of the injury, the impairments may be temporary or permanent. The major cause of TBI result from blunt force trauma to the head during a motorcycle, motor vehicle, or biking accident. Some cases of traumatic brain injuries have also been seen from sport injuries, gunshot wounds, falls, and/or assaults. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports approximately 5.25 million American’s (children and adults) are living with a permanent disability resulting from a brain injury (Zaloshnja, Miller, Langlois, & Selassie, 2008).
Studies show that young children and elderly people are prone to fall related brain injuries, making them very vulnerable. Another type of brain injury that is not congenital, hereditary, or degenerative is an Acquired brain injury (ABI). A change in the neuronal activity from a stroke, heart attack, brain tumor, anoxia, near suffocation, aneurysm, and drug overdose commonly causes ABI. The impairments from ABI can be mild, moderate, or severe. In addition, one or more of the following functional abilities can be affected: memory, speech, attention/concentration, cognition, reasoning, information processing, behavior, and physical functioning (Edmonston, n.d.).
Functional Disabilities
The consequences of brain injury will not affect any two people in the same manner, it depends on the person’s age, severity of the injury, and the length of time in coma. Physical changes that can possibly occur following a...

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Brain Injury Association of Florida. (n.d.). Traumatic Brain Injury: A Disability Often in Disguise. Retrieved from http://www.byyourside.org/
Edmonston, A. (n.d.). Resource Coordination for Individuals with Traumatic Brain
Injury a Handbook for Human Service Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.dhmh.maryland.gov/mha/Documents/Resource%20Coordination
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Jaffee, M. S., Helmick, K. M., Girard, P. D., Meyer, K. S., Dinegar, K., & George, K.
(2009). Acute clinical care and care coordination for traumatic brain injury within Department of Defense. J Rehabil Res Dev, 46(6), 655-666.
Zaloshnja, E., Miller, T., Langlois, J. A., & Selassie, A. W. (2008). Prevalence of long-term disability from traumatic brain injury in the civilian population of the
United States. The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation, 23(6), 394-400.

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