ABSTRACT

Acquiring a brain injury—whether from a blow or jolt to the head, stroke, tumor, or any one of a number of conditions that affect the brain—can have a devastating impact on an individual’s life and functioning, from cognitive processing in the brain itself, to one’s emotional, psychosocial, and physical well-being. A brain injury can have serious, long-term consequences on a person’s ability to focus, concentrate, remember, express emotion, and self-regulate behavior(s). Quickness to anger, which in turn can impair thinking and memory with or without brain injury, can be problematic as well, particularly with an injury to the frontal lobes of the brain. Individuals with brain injury may also tire quickly or be easily distracted by ambient noise or surrounding activities, making it difficult to have a conversation or function at a pace demanded by work, school, and other social environments. Thus, long-term impacts or disabilities from the injury can affect the ability to return to prior activities, including work or school, participate in the community, or even view oneself as a competent person (Chamberlain 2006; Lorenz 2010a; Sherry 2006).