ABA Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, is one of the most serious injuries that someone can suffer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that nearly 140 people in the country die from TBI every day.

On an annual basis, more than 2 million people need to be hospitalized after suffering a TBI. Those who do survive such an injury often suffer from disabilities that last a long time, including impaired thinking or memory, difficulties with sensation and movement, and significant problems with emotional functioning.

TBIs are the leading reason why children develop disabilities. A significant blow to the head, for instance, can cause enough damage to the brain that it can ultimately affect how people behave.

Luckily, there are ways that TBI can be treated to help children improve their quality of life. One of the leading treatments is actually applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, which helps children modify certain behaviors.

Below, we’ll discuss in further detail what TBI is, how it affects people who suffer from it and how ABA therapy can help.

Read more: Is ABA Therapy only for Autism?

Table Of Contents

How Does TBI Affect Those Who Suffer from It?

People who suffer from a TBI can experience significant negative physical and psychological effects. They may become physically disabled in some form, while their behaviors can be seriously affected as well.

Many people who suffer from TBI may experience extreme emotions such as aggression, lack of motivation, non-compliance, anxiety and depression. This can negatively affect them for the rest of their lives, as in many cases, there’s nothing that can be done from a medical standpoint to “heal” or “fix” a TBI.

Much like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most of the treatment plans are focused on helping people who suffer from it modify their behaviors and learn new skills that can help them cope, communicate better and develop better social skills.

Depending on the severity of the TBI, people may need to be re-trained on some basic self-care tasks such as brushing their teeth or using the bathroom — even if they’re already learned and mastered those skills.

How Can ABA Therapy Help People with TBI?

ABA therapy is considered the gold standard of treating ASD, and it’s also been proven to be effective at treating some of the major issues that people with TBI face. Not only can ABA therapy help to modify the negative behaviors, but it can also be used to help people with TBI re-learn the basic skills they need in life, as well as build their social and vocational skills.

One unique aspect of ABA therapy for individuals with TBI, when compared to that of individuals with autism, is that there are other medical issues that often need to be taken into consideration. As such, the ABA therapist will likely have to work very closely with some other medical professional to orchestrate the patient’s treatments.

This is also the case with some children with autism as well, as they typically require more attentive medical care than neurotypical individuals.

During the early stages of ABA therapy, the therapist will determine whether the behavioral issues at play are due to some environmental factor or because the person lost basic skills. In other words, is the patient displaying a certain behavior because they no longer possess certain basic skills or because they’ve lost certain motivations such as consequences and social conditioning?

Once this has been determined, then a customized ABA therapy treatment plan can be created that addresses the individual’s unique strengths and challenges — just like it is for children with autism.

At this point, the plan will include strategies for how certain behaviors can be modified through techniques of behavior analysis to alter the consequences of the environment. Over time, ABA therapy can significantly help to improve these behaviors in patients who suffer from TBI.

Blue Gems ABA Treats Patients with TBI

TBIs are some of the most dramatic and damaging injuries that a person can suffer. They can leave someone both physically and psychologically incapacitated, and in need of intensive, personalized treatment.

Luckily, ABA therapy has been proven to show significant improvements in many areas for people with TBI. At Blue Gems ABA, our team of experienced therapists work one-on-one with patients who have TBIs, helping them to build their social, communication and daily life skills that they may struggle with as a result of their injuries.

To learn more, please contact us today.