TBI Leaders Respond to Comments Dismissive of Traumatic Brain Injury

Reporters recently asked President Trump about news that U.S. troops had sustained various degrees of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in an Iranian missile strike. He responded, “I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it’s not very serious.” An outcry followed these remarks, with military leaders and others noting that TBI has been called a “signature injury” among U.S. troops in the recent conflicts in the Middle East. Fifty U.S. troops are reported to have TBI resulting from the Iranian strike.  Research has tied mild TBI (mTBI, the predominant form) to psychiatric disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, hearing loss and tinnitus, and substance abuse, among other negative sequalae. Since 2000, over 400,000 service members have been diagnosed with TBI, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Among those expressing concern about the high-profile dismissive comments on TBI are audiologists and speech-language pathologists, who play a central role in screening for, assessing, and treating its effects. (Audiologists diagnose and treat TBI-related hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance disorders. SLPs diagnose and treat TBI-related speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders.) We turned to audiologist/SLP experts on TBI to capture their reactions to the comments on TBI—and implications for those affected and their treatment. Here’s what they said: “As a sp...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Audiology Slider Speech-Language Pathology blast injuries Cognitive Rehabilitation cognitive-communication disorder hearing loss TBI tinnitus Traumatic Brain Injury Source Type: blogs