Most people think Fred is a jerk.
He makes sexist jokes.
He tells people they “look fat.”
He makes racist comments.
It is VERY easy to write off Fred as a horrible human being.
Reality isn’t that simple, though…
Fred is cognitively disabled
Fred suffered a serious blow to the head a decade ago.
See last week’s email for a general explanation of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
The blow to Frank’s head caused brain lesions on the front of his brain, immediately behind his forehead. This area is called the Prefrontal Cortex.
A common symptom of a TBI to that region of the brain is “Disinhibition.”
Disinhibition is impulsive behavior and poor decision-making.
People with disinhibition frequently:
- Make immature, insensitive comments.
- Use vulgar, sexual language and tell inappropriate jokes.
- Are described as having “no filter.”
In other words, people with a TBI to the front of the skull often look like a “jerk.”
They aren’t.
They are cognitively disabled.
Responding to someone making inappropriate comments because of TBI disinhibition can be challenging. We’ll cover it in this week’s training on TBI.
Have a fantastic week!
Peace,
Ryan
