Khalid became a standout at USC and quickly came to the attention of pro scouts. His hearing impairment was adequately managed with hearing aids, but these were cumbersome during games. Still Khalid found a way to thrive in the environment of "big time" football. He even enjoyed it. He was drafted by a professional team and played for 5 years until he sustained a nagging concussion that would not abate. He was forced to retire early, and he still struggles with post-concussion syndrome in spite of being away from football for some time. The doctors have indicated that he has a mild traumatic brain injury.
Most days for Khalid are good, however, and he is able to manage the symptoms of his TBI with the help of his partner of 6 years, Sasha. The two met at a charity function when Khalid was playing in the NFL, and they have been together ever since. Because of the money Khalid received during his time with the team, the two are able to live modestly but well, traveling often. At 35 years of age, Khalid could not have imagined this is how his life would have turned out, and, while he misses the competition of football, he is thrilled to have a life of ease. Sasha works as a paralegal and is pursuing a career as an attorney.
Their daughter is now 4, and the two are considering adoption. Sasha has important values around environmental issues, and the couple has come to think that one child is "enough" from a biological standpoint, but the two want a larger family.
* Is there evidence of other sense becoming more acute when one sense is challenged? In other words, is it possible that Khalid's vision, sense of smell, etc. were better owing to his hearing loss? Is there neurological evidence for this hypothesis?
* What are the risks of head injury for young boys playing football? What about high school and college students? What about professional athletes?
* Is Khalid's TBI likely to worsen? On what factors might this depend?
* What is the time period for early adulthood? What are the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes that typically take place during this period?
* Is there evidence of other sense becoming more acute when one sense is challenged? In other words, is it possible that Khalid's vision, sense of smell, etc. were better owing to his hearing loss? Is there neurological evidence for this hypothesis?
ReplyDeleteFor years there has been speculation that people who have one impaired sense typically have another sense that is heightened. There have even been cinema productions such as DareDevil (O’Connor 2009) that support this theory; but recently there has been research done by neuroscientists to back up the assumptions. In a study done by Neuroscientists at McGill University, they test both blind and sighted people to see if their perception or pitch and localization abilities differ from one another. Their results yielded that blind subjects generally scored higher than sighted subjects. There were also variations in scores of those who were blind at birth, who scored the best, versus those who were blind as small children, who scored slightly behind those born blind and finally those who lost their sight after age 10, who scored closest to those who were sighted.
The study shows that a young brain can be rewired so that visual-processing areas were used for other senses such as smell or hearing. Brain images showed that when the senses other than sight were being used, the visual cortex was active (O’Connor, 2009).
The theory of having heightened senses has also been proven true for hearing impaired as well. A study new study done by University of Sheffield found, that the retina in the eye holds the key to improved foresight; and that the retina in those who have a hearing impairment develop differently that people without hearing impairment. Adult retinas, which were born deaf or had an onset in the first years of life, also develop differently than hearing adults. Neuroscientists have drawn the conclusion that it is due to the fact that it must be able to capture more peripheral visual information. They described the “retinal neurons” in deaf people to seem distributed differently around the retina, in order to enable them to capture more peripheral visual information that a person who hear normally (Admin, 2011).
O’Connor, A. (2009, September 28). The Claim: Loss of Sight Heightens the Other Senses. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/health/29real.html
Admin. (2011, June 10). The Hearing Impaired Have Better Vision. Retrieved from http://www.hearingaid.org.uk/blog/2011/06/10/the-hearing-impaired-have-better-vision/
* What are the risks of head injury for young boys playing football? What about high school and college students? What about professional athletes?
ReplyDeleteYoung boys playing football risk receiving a concussion, which is a type of internal head injury. Repeated concussions can result in permanent injury to the brain. However, it is possible to get a mild concussion that doesn’t result in long-term damage. A brain injury that occurred in early childhood may be relevant to current behavioral or academic concerns. Children with mild head traumatic brain injury usually recover completely, but must be monitored closely and allowed to fully recover before returning to sports.
A mild brain injury is defined as a brief loss of consciousness; loss of memory of events immediately proceeding or following the event; alteration of mental state, and a loss of sensation. A person who might suffer from a severe brain injury will suffer from prolonged loss of consciousness or a coma. Most individuals who suffer a severe brain injury will be left with permanent physical, cognitive, or behavioral deficits. A TBI can result in impairments in memory, word retrieval, expressive language, physical strength and agility, and regulation of emotions.
The failure to detect and treat a TBI is particularly harmful to younger athletes. Since teenagers do not have fully developed brain tissue, head injuries sustained among high school athletes often lead to detrimental damage. Injuries suffered at this stage of development can cause longer-lasting symptoms and create vulnerability to further damage if another injury occurs.
Unlike the brains of high school athletes, college and professional sports players' brains are fully developed. However, the hits they endure are much more powerful than those faced in high school sports. In addition, college and professional players are commonly encouraged to return to playing as quickly as possible, jeopardizing their full recovery. Neurologists have found evidence that many professional football players have brain damage similar to the damage seen in severe cases of dementia. Players are especially vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, a terminal form of dementia. Professional athletes could also possibly have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that strikes people who have suffered repeated traumatic brain injury.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/head_injury.html#
http://www.allabouttbi.com/sports-related-traumatic-brain-injury/
* Is Khalid's TBI likely to worsen? On what factors might this depend?
ReplyDeleteThe likelihood that Khalid’s TBI would worsen has to do with the severity of the injury. Khalid’s was caused by a concussion which is usually one of the less severe TBI’s a person can sustain. Typically the results of a TBI due to concussion effect thinking, sensation, language and emotion. Depending on how severe the concussion Khalid experienced the aftermath could be long-term or short-term. Khald’s TBI is likely to only have short term effects and is most likely not going to worsen. If anything Khalid will most likely just experience the same symptoms he is experiencing now without worsening severity. If Khalid withstands another concussion or other TBI even over long period of time that would result in worsening symptoms. Although Khalid stopped playing football he needs to be careful in his daily life not to endure another concussion. Khalid will need to be careful with “hoursing around with his child” ( and the adopted child if they choose to adopt.) It is said that 80% of people who have a concussion have resolution of their concussion symptoms within 3 months. If after that point Khalid is still experiencing symptoms he will need to get checked to see if there may be other issues with his brain function.
* What is the time period for early adulthood? What are the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes that typically take place during this period?
ReplyDeleteAdulthood is split into three categories: early, middle and late adulthood. The time period for early adulthood is defined from approximately eighteen years of age until about forty years of age. This span of years only acts as an estimation of when adulthood begins, this is because there is no precise time in which the adolescent’s stage is said to conclude. “Early adulthood is, for most people, the time of peak physical capacity.” (p. 209) Full height is reached during our late teen years and our full strength continues to develop into our twenties as well as our thirties. During early adulthood both our vision as well as our hearing is peaking and with begin to lessen. Our visual and audio acuity with begin diminishes once we reach our adult years and with continue to decrease over time into middle and late adulthood. “Manual agility and coordination,” are also said to be at their peak at this point of early adulthood, these physical capacities will too be reduced as early as our mid 30’s. (p.209)
Cognitive development deals greatly with our level of reasoning or the way in which we think. As you pass from adolescents to adulthood it seems that our capacity for analyzing situations and our ability to think logically has greatly increased. We enter early adulthood with far more interpretation skills and approachable skills when encountering situations. We can clearly demonstrate our point of view, feelings, and outlook as well as rationally express or defend them. Thinking abstractly is a definite characteristic of early adulthood; theories, concepts, and practical solutions all make up this stage of cognitive development. It is said by many, that we have not however reached our peak. We find ourselves being introduced to new experiences and new information that will constantly change the way in which we think or reason. Through IQ measures it has been said that our increasing intelligence continues well into our thirties and that it does not cease to expand upon reaching early adulthood. (p.210) Integrating the information we gain through our unique encounters allow us to continue to grow mentally and pick up on new ideas and thoughts. Our impressions will constantly undergo change based upon our personal experiences in our adult years. One theory was proposed by Riegel in 1975 stating that, “adult experiences expose us to a new level of cognitive challenge – the discovery of dialectical (opposing) forces. In other words, we find that many aspects of our environment can manifest contradictory features.” (p.209) This quotation supports that early adulthood is not our cognitive peak. Another theory, which was proposed by Kramer in 1989, “that people progress through three broad stages: absolutist, relativist and dialectical. In early adulthood, many people are in the absolutist phase: they are capable of addressing many problems, but they tend to believe that all problems have a correct answer.” As we progress through adulthood we reach the other two phases in which we: 1. Reach the understanding that the correct answer may differ based upon the context of a situation and 2. We can integrate different aspects and comprehend different views.
The socio-emotional changes that take place throughout early adulthood deal mostly with questioning who you are, who you are becoming, and how you compare and relate to other individuals going through the same stage of development. There are many theories that have been suggested to occur during early adulthood in the area of socio-emotional development. One theory presented by Erikson and Erikson claim that the majority of focus during this stage goes towards intimacy or “the ability to love and trust another.” (p. 210) Levinson built upon Erikson’s theory, concentrating on social psychological aspects and the relationship between an individual’s development and the demands of society. Levinson felt that the first stage of socio-emotional development in early adulthood was creating a dream. From here the dream is organized in a path that one can follow and as the individual progresses they may take time to look back on their original dream and question the choices they have made. Eventually there is a period of settling down, this is the point in which one has found their role in society, their place in the professional world, and their domestic responsibilities. Developing emotional connections and relationship leads to the formation of attachment and this is a large part of young adult life.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blackwellpublishing.com/intropsych/pdf/chapter10.pdf