Anyone know anything about Acquired Brain Injuries?

[bit_pattern]

If someone acquired a brain injury as a young child (say a shaken baby) do you think it's possible they could have gone undiagnosed for thirty years? If so, how would one go about getting a diagnosis?

 

[Allein]

If someone acquired a brain injury as a young child (say a shaken baby) do you think it's possible they could have gone undiagnosed for thirty years? If so, how would one go about getting a diagnosis?

Do you mean by testing cognitive function or similar ? I would have though if the perceived issues were so subtle that they had gone undiagnosed for 30 years it would be very difficult to make a genuine connection. A child's brain under goes huge change during the journey to adulthood.

I have a close relative who suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen at birth, the effects of this would be obvious to anyone who net her and have gotton worse throughout her life. To draw an analogy, if she has fallen as a child and suffered a head injury would we be able to asses if this had affected her abilities now ?

I'm raising the questions rather then stating any informed fact, but my feeling is not.

ofcourse,dont u see how low the average intelligence level is?

ppl blame politics and corporations,but who gave them the power? Aliens??

Not really a great contribution, it might help of it made sense...how can an average intelligence be low ? and leave the Aliens out of it.

 

[Maya]

If someone acquired a brain injury as a young child (say a shaken baby) do you think it's possible they could have gone undiagnosed for thirty years? If so, how would one go about getting a diagnosis?

It's really hard to say without any proper testing involved.

Like what Allein have mentioned, I also have a cousin who suffered from brain injury as a child. When her sister was carrying him, she accidentally dropped him on the ground with his head first on the ground and it resulted to his mental abilities getting tremendously affected. He now has a mind of a 12 year old even if he's already 25

 

[bit_pattern]

Thanks for the replies. I might be on a wild goose chase but have reason to suspect I may have been shaken as a young child. I changed completely at the age of four, went from being a bright, smiling, happy child to a severely withdrawn and disengaged child overnight. Mum always associated it with me having drank a bottle of Panadol cough syrup but I suspect it was something more sinister, certainly there is no reason why a shit load of paracetamol would have that effect on a child. I can remember my Dad almost crying as he confessed that he shook my brother and that might have explained his issues during high school - in retrospect I suspect he may have been talking about me but couldn't bring himself to say it.

I dunno. It's a hunch.

I want to undertake is something like this:

http://neurotreatment.com.au/services/neuropsychological-assessment-service.aspx

http://synapse.org.au/get-the-facts/neuropsychological-assessments-fact-sheet.aspx

If I did have some underlying neuropsychological problem it would go a loooong way towards explaining why I am the way I am - high functioning when it comes to cognitive processes, my family are all the same except functional (one brother is a partner at a law firm, the other runs a couple of businesses that he built from scratch), I have always suffered from extreme mood and behavioural problems. I have carried an incessant suicide ideation since about he age of 10, I can distinctly remember trying to summon the courage to throw myself in front of trucks on the main road near my house but never having the balls to pull it off. Pretty much my whole life I have had thoughts that I should just die, it's pretty much a default position whenever I get stressed. My behavioural problems and excessively depressive vibe mean that I'm pretty sure I'll be single for the rest of my life, the longest fling I've had lasted three months, due to my toxic personality. I can't function in the workplace, longest I've held down a job is 6 months (I'm 33 years old ffs), if I can't get some kind of diagnosis and support benefits then I can't see much future for myself.

Sorry, this is all TDS material, I already have a discussion running over there and just wanted to sound HL out to get a wider variety of opinion and/or advice. But, yeah, really want to keep this thread about the potential for ABI in young children rather than a "poor me" sap fest

FWIW I've spoken to a neuropsychological assessment centre. After I spoke with one outfit and explained my history, the nurse was adamant that I needed an assessment but they charged $1250 with no medicare rebates. Then I contacted another outfit, after a few questions they told me not only that I needed the assessment but that I qualified for full government subsidies, the only catch is a six month waiting list. Finally, I might be a step closer to figuring out whey I am so fucked up. They tend to think I have either a developmental neurological disorder or I have acquired a brain injury at some point in my life, either way I'm one step closer to answering why I am so fucked up with the EQ of a five year old. Although, my brother's partner (they are housing me temporarily atm) suggested that I might be bipolar, she pointed out aspects of my behaviour that I had never seen from her perspective and made a pretty convincing case. I guess I'll find out soon enough, the intake nurse told me that because of my high risk of homelessness that I may be able get triaged a lot quicker than the 6 month waiting list.

Such a fucking relief.

 

[Maya]

^Let us know how it goes OP I hope you get in faster to get an assessment. I hope there is nothing that indicates brain injuries etc.

 

[bit_pattern]

^^ I kind of hope there is, it would make my life a LOT easier - access to services, housing, double the rate of support payments than I currently receive because disability pensions are indexed against inflation and kept just above the poverty line.

They sent out referral forms today, apparently my situation means I don't even need a GP referral - it's kinda funny though because in the section about historical drug usage I'm going to have to print out an extra page because there really isn't enough room to detail the amount of poly-drug abuse I've engaged in

 

[M0rningstarr]

Acquired Brain injury.

If someone acquired a brain injury as a young child (say a shaken baby) do you think it's possible they could have gone undiagnosed for thirty years? If so, how would one go about getting a diagnosis?

Found your post while hunting information about kids who grew up with undiagnosed brain injuries. Yes, a brain injury can go undiagnosed for 30 years especially for those who were born in 60's 70's 80's. I didn't see any other posts on the outcome of your neurological assesment. Would you mind updating?