Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can be especially difficult for children and adolescents, due to the social, academic and physical challenges they are already experiencing. Until recently, doctors believed that injured teens had only a year to regain their mental abilities before permanent damage prevented further improvement.
A new study disputes that assumption, showing that by exposing patients to targeted brain training, teens can improve their cognitive function months and even years after their injury.
The Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas examined the brains of 20 adolescents, aged 12 to 20, who had all suffered some form of traumatic brain injury in the last six months. The young people all exhibited “gist reasoning deficits,” meaning they had trouble understanding the “essence” of dense information.
The students were divided into two groups: one group was instructed using strategy-based gist training; the other used fact-based memory training.
In a month’s time, students participated in eight 45-minute learning sessions. The study gauged the students’ ability to discern abstract meaning and recall facts. The group that was taught using the specialized gist training improved in both areas, while children from the fact-based training group did not fare as well.
By focusing on “big picture” training, the teens’ higher cognitive functions improved, as well as lower processes such as straightforward memory. Researchers were encouraged because the improvements in cognitive function would help the young people in their everyday lives.
The study led researchers to stress the importance of following up with TBI patients for longer periods of time. They also advocated for more targeted brain training therapies, which could help some students recover faster and more efficiently.
I Need a Lawyer in Colorado Who Handles Child Injury
At Metier Law Firm, we know how difficult it can be to watch your child struggle with a traumatic brain injury. Unlike physical injuries, brain injuries have no set healing time, and can require months and years of therapy to fully recover.
If your child was injured due to negligence, a settlement could help make sure they receive proper treatment and give you more options about how to care for them. Call us today to discuss your child’s accident. Our lawyers are committed to making the world a safer place for all children and families.
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