Cognitive deficits can be general or specific and have various causes, including congenital conditions, neurological diseases, head injuries, and medication side effects. Treatment depends on the cause and may include medication, therapy, and supportive care. Patients with specific deficits may have difficulty with certain tasks but can function well in other areas. A thorough evaluation is conducted to develop a treatment plan, which may include patient adaptations and occupational therapy.
Cognitive deficits, changes in brain function that lead to difficulty completing cognitive tasks, come in a wide variety of types. They can be broadly divided into general and specific deficits, depending on whether they involve problems with general functioning, as seen in mental retardation, or difficulties with particular types of cognitive tasks such as language acquisition. Treatment for cognitive impairments varies, depending on the cause and severity, and may include medications, therapy, and supportive care.
There are a number of reasons brain function may be impaired. Some people have congenital cognitive impairments caused by changes in fetal development, genetic disorders, or brain damage sustained at birth. Other people develop deficits due to progressive neurological diseases, head injuries and drug use. Sometimes, these deficits are iatrogenic in nature, caused by medical treatment. Some medications are known to impact cognitive function, for example.
In cases of general cognitive deficits, patients experience an overall reduction in cognitive function. They have difficulty completing a variety of tasks and may not be able to function independently. Neurological disorders, especially in advanced stages, can cause this level of disability, as can some congenital conditions. Children born with intellectual disabilities associated with conditions such as Down syndrome, for example, have general cognitive deficits. Some mental illnesses can also cause this type of deficit by interfering with brain function, and in some cases, medications used to treat mental illnesses cause problems with brain function to develop.
With specific deficits, people may function well in some areas and not in others. Dyslexia, learning disabilities such as ADHD, and auditory processing disorder are a few select examples of specific cognitive deficits. In these patients, overall brain function is as expected, and the patient can complete a variety of cognitive tasks but has difficulty with tasks that require function in specific areas of the brain. These patients may be highly skilled in certain types of tasks and sometimes demonstrate a high adaptability to compensate for their deficits.
When people see a doctor with cognitive impairment, a thorough evaluation is conducted to document the extent of the problem and to learn more about the possible cause. This information can be used to develop a treatment plan. Patient adaptations are a common component of treatment, using things like adjustments to a student’s curriculum designed to help the student learn. Sometimes medications can help, particularly with specific cognitive deficits, as can things like occupational therapy to help the patient develop life skills.
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