SYMPTOMS OF BRAIN INJURY

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:

Weakness/Paralysis
Impaired coordination/balance
Double vision
Blured vision
Visual field cuts
Inattention to one side of space
Trouble tracking/focusing
Altered visual perception
Difficulty hearing/Ringing in ears
Difficulty swallowing
Dizziness/Nausea
Headaches
Neck pain
Back pain
Sensitivity to light
Sensitivity to noise
Fatigue
Sleeping more
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Reduced smell
Reduced taste
Seizures
Other physical changes and problems

EMOTIONAL/BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS:

Mood swings
Irritability
Depression/Withdrawal
Restlessness/Agitation
Passivity
Lack of motivation / initiation
Loss of interest in activities
Poor impulse control
Anger outbursts
More easily prone to frustration or overload
Lability (less control of emotions)
Denial and poor awareness of problems/changes
Inappropriate social interaction (swearing, lack of tact, inappropriate eye contact, verbosity, etc.)
Hyper (more) sexuality
Hypo (less) sexuality
Egocentric
Other emotional/behavioral changes and problems

COGNITION/COMMUNICATION SYMPTOMS:

Disorientation to person, place, time
Confusion
Impaired short-term memory
Impaired long-term memory
Inflexibility
Reduced concentration
Reduced attention
Difficulty doing more than one thing at a time
Reduced math skills
Perseveration (getting "stuck" on a certain topic, task, word)
Difficulty staying on task or on topic
Impaired judgment and problem-solving skills
Inconsistent performance
Difficulty with generalization and carry-over of new learning
Sequencing problems
Disorganization
Difficulty with reasoning skills
Slowed thinking
Increased rate of performance
Decreased rate of performance
Slurred Speech
Changes in voice quality (nasal, hoarse, breathy, etc.)
Difficulty with word order and grammar
Decreased auditory comprehension
Decreased comprehension of abstract material
Increased difficulty with reading (including slower reading and poor reading comprehension)
Increased difficulty with writing, including spelling difficulties
Other cognition/communication changes and problems