4/11 Post Injury Neurodivergence Part 1

Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA) for a conversation on what happens when the brain changes after trauma — from concussions and accidents to medical events like strokes or seizures. We’ll unpack how recovery isn’t always a return to “normal,” and why post-injury cognition, emotion, and sensory processing deserve a place in neurodiversity conversations.

Many students and athletes live with the lingering cognitive effects of TBI, concussion, or neurological injury — memory gaps, brain fog, fatigue, overstimulation, emotional volatility — yet these experiences are rarely discussed beyond “get rest.”

We’ll talk about:

• What post-injury neurodivergence actually looks like — and why it’s often invisible

• How the brain compensates after trauma (and what that means for learning and attention)

• The overlap between concussion symptoms, executive dysfunction, and chronic fatigue

• How identity shifts after brain injury — and the emotional side of “becoming different”

• Strategies for studying, pacing, and self-advocacy when your brain doesn’t operate like it used to