How Brain Training Helps Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury: Brain Injury Awareness Month Although LearningRx doesn’t diagnose or treat traumatic brain injury, its programs are designed to aid the cognitive performance of each client. LearningRx has worked with children, teens, seniors, soldiers, and other adults who have experienced a range of brain injuries—from concussions to very traumatic brain injuries. Learn how brain training helps survivors of traumatic brain injury during Brain Injury Awareness Month. A TBI Survivor’s Experience with Personal Brain Training On September 3, 2008, Jim Nelson was riding his bicycle on a path just north of Colorado Springs when things went wrong. He careened into a four-foot-deep asphalt sinkhole while traveling approximately 25 miles per hour. Jim was violently thrown from his bike, hitting his head and face into the pavement and lying unconscious for over 14 hours. He wasn’t discovered until the next day and was in a coma for a week. Jim’s accident left him with a broken jaw and seven broken teeth. He suffered permanent disfigurement to his face and his right eye. And while recovery from those injuries was difficult, what was even more challenging for Jim were the severe traumatic brain injuries he suffered. They left him unable to think, walk or talk. At that time, he could not work or provide for his family. Overcoming his injuries took years, and while Jim was doing better physically, he was still experiencing roadblocks in his brain. That’s when he decided to enroll in a LearningRx brain training program. This innovative cognitive intervention trained the brain and helped Jim improve his ability to think, read, and re-learn cognitive skills fundamental to his everyday life. It took just 70 hours of training at LearningRx to significantly improve Jim’s cognitive skills, including memory, reasoning, and focus. Since that training, Jim has retained 99% of the gains he worked so hard to achieve. “Since I finished the therapy, I’m able to go back to work for the company that couldn’t bring me back before,” Jim said. “Now, I have the mental ability to work out problems again. I would highly recommend LearningRx to anyone with a traumatic brain injury because it’s a great way to get your brain back.” How LearningRx Brain Training Works Like Jim Nelson, it’s common for victims of a traumatic brain injury to experience changes in cognitive performance. With this in mind, it makes sense that victims and their family members would seek out programs like LearningRx. So, do LearningRx personal brain training programs measure up? Let’s look at the company’s current Results Report. The results from nine years of data show that 386 children and adults came to LearningRx diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. Every client was given an initial one-hour Brain Skills Assessment to determine the strength of each of their cognitive skills. These include auditory and visual processing, memory, logic & reasoning, attention, and processing speed. The core foundational tools are what the brain uses to learn, read, remember and pay attention. After completing their LearningRx one-on-one brain training program, clients were re-assessed. The results showed: • Among 386 clients with TBI, the most dramatic improvements were seen in long-term memory, auditory processing, and broad attention. • Long-term memory skills improved an average of 2.9 years. • IQ scores also improved after LearningRx brain training. If you choose to undergo LearningRx brain training, the team will use your Brain Skills Assessment results to create a program targeting and training any weak cognitive skills. You’ll be partnered with your brain trainer, who will work with you for the duration of your program. More LearningRx Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury Curious to hear more stories of how brain training helps survivors of traumatic brain injury? Check out these videos: 1. John Keller, 2011 LearningRx Student of the Year After his motorcycle was hit by a car, John spent more than 70 days in a coma and 344 days in the hospital for various injuries, including a severe traumatic brain injury that left him with the cognitive function of a young child. He credits LearningRx with much of his cognitive improvement. 2. Drew F. from Chattanooga Drew was in a bicycle accident and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury which led to an extended hospital stay, physical and occupational therapies, and eventually, one-on-one brain training to help with cognitive deficiencies. Drew wanted to improve his memory and attention to work with other traumatic brain injury survivors. 3. Ben Utecht, former NFL tight end Now retired from the NFL, Ben came to LearningRx after experiencing memory loss due to five concussions. Since completing his brain training program, Ben has made numerous media appearances to discuss his experiences with concussion-related damage and was featured in the New York Times. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and, according to The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), this year’s theme is “More Than My Brain Injury.” The campaign is designed to educate others about what it’s like to live with a brain injury, with specific goals to: • Increase understanding of brain injury as a chronic condition • Reduce the stigma associated with having a brain injury • Showcase the diversity of injury and the demographics of the community • Improve care and support for individuals with brain injury and their families What is a TBI, and how does it happen? The BIAA defines a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as “an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force of traumatic. TBIs can be defined as closed (non-penetrating, as in the case of Shaken Baby Syndrome) or open (such as a penetrating wound made by a bullet). In the United States alone, more than 5.3 million children and adults live with a permanent brain injury-related disability, and that’s one in every 60 people. Each year, at least 2.8 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury. Brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. But how do these injuries occur? • 47.9% are from falls • 17.1% are from being struck by or against something • 13.2% are from motor vehicle accidents • 8.3% are from assaults • 13.2% are from other or unknown causes It’s worth noting that the number of people who sustain TBIs and do not seek treatment is unknown.