Neurological Disorders

Neurological Disorders are a wide range of medical conditions that involve the central and peripheral nervous systems. Some examples of neurological disorders include epilepsy, migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and various dementias. Neurological disorders can be caused by a variety of processes, including viral or bacterial infections, an autoimmune response, cancer, or brain injury.

What are the signs of a neurological disorder?

The impact that a neurological disorder will have on your brain functioning and your thinking abilities will depend on your specific medical diagnosis. In some instances, the difficulties are first experienced in motor functioning and only later progress to impact memory, language, or other thinking abilities. In other instances, the impact on your thinking abilities precedes the impact on your motor functioning. In the case of an acquired injury to your brain (e.g. stroke or TBI), the types of difficulties you experience will depend on which regions of the brain have sustained the injury. Sometimes, the cognitive difficulties incurred are all-encompassing and impact all areas of thinking. In other neurological conditions, the initial impact may be isolated and affect only one or two domains of cognitive ability.

What is the treatment for a neurological disorder?

Treatment for your particular neurological disorder will be determined in collaboration with your medical team and will depend on which neurological disorder you have been diagnosed with. Our team of neuropsychologists can help determine your current level of cognitive functioning and, through regular re-evaluations, can help keep tabs on whether your thinking abilities have improved, stayed stable, or worsened with time. In certain cases, we can also partner with you to advocate for appropriate school or workplace accommodations.

Thomson’s cognitive rehabilitation therapists can help you learn skills and strategies with which you may compensate for your areas of reduced cognitive functioning, and therefore help minimize the impact of the neurological disorder on your day to day functioning. Our therapists are skilled in addressing the emotional impact of neurological disorders on your psychological health. We will partner with you to help ensure that feelings of frustration, depression, or anxious worry do not worsen changes in your thinking abilities. We will always encourage you to consult with your physician to determine whether a pharmaceutical intervention would be appropriate for your individual case.