A change in social skills and behaviour can be a symptom of acquired traumatic brain injury or head injury. Behaviour may become extreme with the brain injured person being violent or acting very inappropriately. The individual may have difficulty maintaining previous relationships, and people that know them well may think that their personalities have changed.

The brain injured individual may also forget social norms and how to react appropriately in certain situations. A speech and language pathologist /  therapist can help in some of these situations, especially with behaviour and social skills related to communication. However, for more serious issues of behaviour and its impact on those close to the individual with TBI, it may be important to involve a clinical psychologist.

Although most people make a recovery from traumatic brain injury, they are often left with long term difficulties. Treatment often involves implementing strategies to overcome these difficulties. A Speech and Language Therapist can provide strategies to facilitate rehabilitation and recovery relating to social skills and traumatic brain injury. See our Executive Functioning information sheet in the Traumatic Brain Injury section of our Download Centre for strategies to facilitate social skills and communication.