Do I have ADHD? Or an Unrecognised Head Injury?
- Monica Williams - Frequency Specific Microcurrent Therapy
- May 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 10
The Hidden Link Between Past Head Injuries and
ADD-symptoms
I often wonder how many children, teens, and adults diagnosed with attention-deficit disorders are actually living with the long-term effects of unrecognised head trauma—a forgotten knock, fall, whiplash, or concussion from sports, car accidents, or falls off bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, or horses. How often do we jolt or hit our heads and simply move on, unaware of the deeper impact? And how many people carry the invisible imprint of birth trauma without ever connecting it to current challenges?
Today, more people than ever are being labeled with focus disorders like ADD or ADHD. Yet, in many cases, no investigation into past head injuries is ever made—which means the true cause may go unnoticed and untreated.
We tend to think of concussions as short-term setbacks—an inconvenience on the sports field or a temporary issue after a fall. But research is revealing something much more significant: for some, even mild head injuries can lead to lasting changes in focus, memory, emotional regulation, and attention—symptoms that closely mirror, or may even be misdiagnosed as, ADD/ADHD.
If you've noticed changes in yourself or your child after a bump, fall, or accident—like increased distractibility, restlessness, or trouble with memory—you’re not imagining it.
There’s now a growing body of evidence confirming what many parents, educators, and practitioners have long suspected: head injuries can mimic or contribute to attention-deficit disorders—and recognising this connection could change lives.
The Science: Head Injuries can lead to ADD-like Symptoms
Even a mild concussion or seemingly minor head knock can lead to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) by disrupting brain function, triggering inflammation, and damaging neural connections—sometimes without immediate or obvious symptoms.
Concussions Disrupt Brain Connectivity
According to research from Cognitive FX and a 2018 study published in Frontiers in Neurology (PMID: PMC6276339), even mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) can lead to lasting disruptions in brain networks—especially in areas responsible for executive function, working memory, and attention.
These disruptions don't always show up on scans, but functionally, they impair how brain regions communicate—particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is central to attention control.
Post-TBI Children Are More Likely to Develop ADHD
A large 2021 cohort study in JAMA Pediatrics (source) found that children with early-life head trauma were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life—even after adjusting for factors like sex, preterm birth, or socioeconomic status.
Brain Inflammation and ADD
Another 2021 study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (PMID 33626946) proposed that neuroinflammation and glial cell activation after injury may play a key role in persistent attention deficits. This kind of low-grade brain inflammation can interfere with dopamine signaling, which is central to motivation, attention, and impulse control.
Mild Symptoms of Chronic Concussion
Symptoms of Post-Concussion ADD or “Acquired ADHD”
Difficulty focusing or following through
Restlessness or hyperactivity (especially in children)
Trouble organizing tasks or managing time
Forgetfulness, even in familiar routines
Irritability or emotional outbursts
Sleep disturbances
Low frustration tolerance
These are not just personality traits or psychological reactions—they may be signs of a brain that has lost its rhythm, connection, and coordination after injury.
Symptoms of post-concussion ADD or "Acquired ADD"
Difficulty focusing or following through
Restlessness or hyperactivity (especially in children)
Trouble organizing tasks or managing time
Forgetfulness, even in familiar routines
Irritability or emotional outbursts
Sleep disturbances
Low frustration tolerance
These are not just personality traits or psychological reactions—they may be signs of a brain that has lost its rhythm, connection, and coordination after injury.
Vestibular Injuries
Concussion and head trauma also lead to injury to the vestibular system, the delicate network in the inner ear and brain that helps control balance, spatial awareness, and coordination of eye movements.
Even a mild blow to the head can damage the Vestibular System leading to ongoing symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, nausea, poor balance, blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and increased sensitivity to motion or light. People have trouble with being in fast paced enviroments, busy places like shopping centres, and anywhere they have to process incoming visual or enviromental information quickly.
A person might have been an avid reader in the past, but if the vestibular system becomes damaged, it becomes hard to track words across a page, and remember what is read.
These issues may not appear on standard scans, yet they can profoundly affect daily life—making it hard to walk straight, and they might start becoming clumsy or off balance and bump into things more.
In many cases, the injury is not limited to the brain itself; whiplash or cervical instability can stretch or compress the nerves and blood vessels that support the vestibular system, compounding the dysfunction. Sadly, vestibular problems after concussion are often missed, or misdiagnosed as anxiety or fatigue, delaying proper understanding and treatment. Recognising vestibular injury as a real and treatable consequence of head trauma is essential for full neurological recovery. When this goes unidentified for a long time in a school aged child or teen, it can severely impair their academic and social progress.
A Paradigm Shift: Looking Beyond Labels
Too often, children and adults with attention-deficit symptoms after a trauma, knock, fall or direct head injury are labeled with a disorder but not offered treatment for the cause. Medication may help manage symptoms, but it doesn’t address the underlying neural disconnection or inflammation, which means the problem may never be properly identified, so never properly treated.
When we assess a person in an initial FSM session, these are the things we are thinking, because we have the tools to address the chronic damage to the brain that comes from old head injuries, it means we are more likely to look for the effects old injuries can have long into the future.
FSM brings a gentle, non-invasive, relaxing and deeply restorative approach to the management of ADD, ADHD, emotional dysreguation, memory issues, and learming problems. We seek to help the brain find its rhythm again—especially when trauma or concussion is the hidden cause.
Resources/Further Reading:
Sport Concussion and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Student Athletes: A cohort study - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6276339/
Children with ADHD Have a Greater Lifetime History of Concussion: Results from the ABCD Study - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33626946/
Link Between Concussions & Attention Deficit Disorder - https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/concussions-and-attention-deficit-disorder
Association of ADD/ADHD with Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2782026
Does vestibular damage cause cognitive dysfunction in humans?https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15908735/
Book a Free 15 Minute Consultation with Monica Williams
If you or your child has struggled with focus, emotional regulation, or energy changes after a head injury, FSM may offer the missing piece. Reach out to learn how we can create a tailored plan to restore balance, calm, and attention—starting at the root cause.
Based in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Monica offers one of Australia’s most specialised Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) treatments. While most practitioners use FSM alongside other therapies, Monica focuses solely on microcurrent treatment—this is her full-time clinical specialty. She operates with seven FSM machines (compared to the typical 1–3), and integrates Avazzia and Bicom Bioresonance where needed to optimise results.
Clients travel from Sydney, Melbourne, and regional areas to receive care from one of Australia's most experienced and dedicated FSM practitioners. Monica brings deep clinical insight, advanced tools, and a singular focus to every treatment session.
Book in for a free 15-minute consultation by following the link below.
