Today, we will be talking about Traumatic Brain Injuries in our Understanding Special Needs series.
Let’s start with the statistics. . .
- An estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually
- Children aged 0 to 4 make up half a million TBI emergency visits each year
- TBI is a contributing factor in 1/3 of all injury related deaths
- Males are more likely to get a TBI than a female
What exactly defines a Traumatic Brain Injury?
An injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychological impairment that affects a child’s educational performance. Usually the injury is caused to the head by being hit or shaken violently. This injury can change how the person acts, thinks, and moves.
What can YOU, as a teacher do?
Teachers who have students with traumatic brain injuries need to know that the child can have a change in thinking and reasoning, not being able to understand words, have a hard time remembering things, hard time paying attention, can’t solve problems, and they think abstractly. Remember that after returning to school, the child may show emotional, social, and academic changes so try to adjust your expectations of what the child should be able to accomplish. . .every child will react differently. Many children who experience a traumatic brain injury and return to school will need an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and remember to be flexible.
Be sure to find out as much as you can about the child’s injury and his or her present needs. Give directions one step at a time and show the student how to perform new tasks. Make sure your class can adjust as a whole to consistent routines and realize that the student may need more time to complete an activity and may get tired quickly. Try to reduce distractions as much as possible and keep in tough with the student’s parents about the progress the student makes.
* Research was taken from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
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