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BEHAVIOR and FEELINGS

Changesin personality, mood or behavior

• is irritable, anxious, restless • is sad, depressed
• gets upset or frustrated easily • doesn’t want to do anything, can’t “get started”
• overeacts, cries or laughs too easily • is tired, drowsy
• has mood swings • is slow to respond
• trips, falls, drops things, is awkward
• wants to be alone or away from people
• is afraid of others, blames others • eats too little, eats all the time, or eats things that aren’t food
• wants to be taken care of • has different sexual behavior (older children)
• does not know how to act with people • starts using or has a different reaction to alcohol or drugs
• takes risks without thinking first • takes off clothes in public

THINKING PROBLEMS

• has trouble remembering things • has trouble putting things in order (desk, room, papers)
• has trouble paying attention • has trouble making decisions
• reacts slowly • has trouble planning, starting, doing, and finishing a task
• thinks slowly • has trouble remembering to do things on time
• takes things too literally, doesn’t get jokes • makes poor choices (loss of common sense)
• understands words but not their meaning
• thinks about the same thing over and over
• has trouble learning new things
WHAT TO DO:

TROUBLE COMMUNICATING
If your child has any of the problems on
• changes the subject, has trouble staying on topic this list, and they don’t go away:
• has trouble thinking of the right word
• has trouble listening ▲ Ask your child’s doctor to have your child
• has trouble paying attention, can’t have long conversations seen by a specialist in head injury who can
• does not say things clearly help your child learn skills (rehabilitation).
• has trouble reading
▲ Ask your child’s doctor to have your child
• talks too much
seen by a Board-certified Neuropsychologist.
This specialist can help you understand and
deal with your child’s behavior and feeling
changes.

▲ Call the Brain Injury Association of Arizona
for more information:

(602) 323-9165 Phoenix Helpline
1-888-500-9165 Toll-Free Statewide Helpline

We have only listed the problems we see
most often when a child’s brain is hurt.
For additional copies of this publication, or to obtain this information in an Not every problem that could happen is on this list.
alternative format, contact the Arizona Governor’s Council on Spinal & Head Injuries at:
Voice/(602) 863-0484 or through the AZ Relay Service.