Brain Injury Functioning Issue #4

Information Processing
Definition	Taking environmental stimulation in through the five senses, interpreting it, and responding to it.
Signs and Symptoms of Problems	Thinking Speed is Slower:  It takes longer to understand sensory information and make sense of what is going on in a situation. Delay in Responding:  There may be a long pause before the person responds with words or behavior, and they may not be aware of this. Process only Fragments of Information:  Because of the slowed processing speed, parts of information heard or seen may be missed. Hard Time Being Concise:  It may be difficult to decide when enough has been said, and a person may continue to speak and lose their listeners’ attention.
Strategies for Survivors and Significant Others	Encourage organization of information given Verify written, read, and verbal information gathered. Encourage single task completion; rather than focusing on multiple tasks Concentrate on accuracy first and speed later Write information down to give to the individual as a means to allow extra time for better comprehension/understanding. Ask others to slow down or repeat information Reduce visual distraction, auditory distraction, and internal distractions Practice, Practice, Practice to improve efficiency of specific skill areas Improve word retrieval and thought organization through practice conversations Impose time restraints to improve concise speech