The brain is that all important part of the human body that helps process most of its normal physical functions. However, residents of New Haven, Connecticut, should be concerned about a new study that suggests that there could be a link between brain damage and poor social skills in children.

The research, which involved a sample of children who suffered a brain injury mostly from car accidents, determined that there is a possible association between the lack of ability to interact with other people and serious head injuries. The Brigham Young University research, which was published in the Journal of Head Trauma, found that children with remaining damage in the brain’s frontal lobes have a lower quality of social life.

Because brain injury victims may look fine, it can be difficult to find symptoms of brain damage. However, a brain injury can have difficult, costly and long-lasting repercussions. Brain trauma can cause difficulty in remembering things and focusing, which can affect social interactions.

The researchers believe that the problem may be cognitive proficiency, a problem that occurs between short-term memory and brain processing speeds. According to one of the authors, during social interaction, the brain processes what another person is saying while also processing that person’s body language or facial expression. The brain holds that information and processes it so that a person can react accordingly. However, if there are any alterations during the process, such as the brain’s processing speed, it can result in difficulties when socializing with other people.

Brain injury can occur for several reasons, including medical malpractice, vehicular accidents, sports injuries, assault and slip and fall accidents. Unfortunately, those accidents can happen because of another party’s negligence. If a negligent party is liable for the development of a victim’s brain injury, the victim or the victim’s family may choose to file a lawsuit to seek compensation.

Source: HealthDay, “Social Skills a Casualty of Childhood Head Injury, Study Suggests,” April 10, 2014