Speech and Language Disorders After a Brain Injury

The victim of a brain injury will often experience communication problems. The loss of speech or language skills can be very serious leading to learning difficulties and sufferers to be shunned socially.

As experienced Virginia brain injury lawyers, we take speech and language disorders very seriously. If you lose communication skills, you may not be able to work, so will lose out on a salary. These kinds of considerations are relevant when assessing the compensation to be awarded to person who has a traumatic brain injury.

In the case of children, a brain injury can cause serious developmental problems. It can lead to immediate communication difficulties and language impediments. When infants fail to reach educational milestones, they can fall behind at school and their subsequent academic career can suffer.

Types of Speech, Language and Swallowing Deficits After a Brain Injury

• Aphasia – This condition is characterized by a difficulty in understanding or producing speech correctly.
• Dysarthria – When slurred speech is caused by weak muscles. Spastic dysarthia is characterized by a strained or strangled vocal quality.
• Apraxia – the difficulty of programming oral muscles for speech production;
• Dysphagia – problems with swallowing may be cause by a weakness or lack of coordination in the muscles in the throat.

It can take a real effort for people with TBI to understand both written and spoken messages. In extreme cases they can may behave as if they are trying to comprehend a foreign language. They may also experience difficulty with reading, spelling and writing. Some people who have suffered brain damage  may also have difficulty in social communication, such as difficulty taking turns in conversation and or keeping to the topic of conversation. Most frustrating to families and friends, individuals with TBI may have little or no awareness of just how inappropriate their behaviors are.

A speech language pathologist can help people who have suffered a TBI recover some communication skills but it can be a difficult and long process.

Brain injuries can entail a range of cognitive defects.  Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers provides legal support and assistance to many clients who have suffered a serious brain injury leading to cognitive impairment who may be entitled to compensation. There are numerous causes of brain injuries, ranging from car accidents to slip and falls. Our clients are not billed until they receive a settlement or verdict. Contact us at 757.455.0077 or online to schedule an appointment for a free consultation.