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Following a brain injury, individuals may experience changes in their ability to learn.
These changes in learning can lead to frustration and anxiety.
Consequently, both the traumatic brain injury survivor, as well as family and friends, may experience frustration.
Frustrations may be compounded because the individual impacted by the brain injury may look normal.
Recently I heard someone say, “She was in a car accident several months ago, but she is fine. She just had a head injury.”
Learning may subsequently become laborious and daunting for the individual impacted by a brain injury.
Executing and practicing once familiar tasks become a struggle.
Once simple tasks take huge amounts of effort and energy.
As a result, the individual may want to give up trying to learn.
What I Discovered that Helped Me
Through my experience, I have discovered that there are different learning styles: visual, auditory and kin esthetic. Some people learn best through a combination of these three learning styles, while others learn predominantly through the use of one or two of these styles. Through testing, I discovered that I learn best through two of the three styles. When auditory (listening to instructions) and kinesthetic (show me and let me do) are combined my learning aptitude increases and I am better able to learn the new material.
People Learn in Different Ways
Through my experience, I discovered that my ability to learn tasks is hampered when sequences of information are presented to me. Through my experience, I discovered that because I had a difficult time learning sequences I learn best through a “bazillion” repetitions and through persistence. My learning new sequences of information, as a result, comes at a slower pace. Because I have difficulty learning new sequences of information, I need to have a list of the steps in the sequence to follow while I learn the task.
I also need to have more time to process new information.
Being Aware — Good News
In the event that you have experienced a brain injury, your learning style may have also changed for you. As a result, you may be attempting to learn in ways that no longer work for you. Being aware of these changes can reduce your frustration and anxiety. Being aware of these changes can help you to learn. My encouragement to you, my friend; would be to discover how you best learn. Are you a visual learner, an auditory (hearing) learner or a kinesthetic (doing) learner?
Encouragement
Consequently, I would encourage you to ask your counselor or caseworker to test your learning style.
Knowing your learning style(s) will help you to develop new strategies that will enhance your ongoing recovery process. Knowing your learning style(s) will open new doors for you.
Reading this article may have brought questions to mind. Please send those questions to me. All questions are good questions. Please send your question in the “Leave a Reply” section below.
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