Traumatic Brain Injury
Definition
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) outlines the conditions that fall within this classification, formally defining TBI as “an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
The definition continues to specify, “Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psycho-social behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/traumatic-brain-injury/
Characteristics
The Brain Injury Association (formerly the National Head Injury Foundation) calls TBI "the silent epidemic," because many children have no visible impairments after a head injury. Symptoms can vary greatly depending upon the extent and location of the brain injury. However, impairments in one or more areas (such as cognitive functioning, physical abilities, communication, or social/behavioral disruption) are common. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent in nature and may cause partial or total functional disability as well as psychosocial maladjustment.
Children who sustain TBI may experience a complex array of problems, including the following:
Retrieved from:http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/traumatic-brain-injury/
Accommodations and Modifications
Resources
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Traumatic Brain Injury http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/traumatic-brain-injury/
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Traumatic Brain Injury https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/traumatic-brain-injury/
TraumaticBrainInjury.com is a disability community service project of Tools for Meeting Life’s Challenges, Inc. “Tools” is a federal tax exempt, non-profit, charitable organization created solely to provide on request, and at no cost, resources, support and advocacy to empower people with disabilities, their families and allies to lead self-determined lives. Mission is to provide support and advocacy at the earliest possible moment. We work with the families of those disabled by serious and permanent disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury.
Videos:
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wl4-nNOGJ0
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLBPsTRLnQ
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) outlines the conditions that fall within this classification, formally defining TBI as “an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
The definition continues to specify, “Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psycho-social behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/traumatic-brain-injury/
Characteristics
The Brain Injury Association (formerly the National Head Injury Foundation) calls TBI "the silent epidemic," because many children have no visible impairments after a head injury. Symptoms can vary greatly depending upon the extent and location of the brain injury. However, impairments in one or more areas (such as cognitive functioning, physical abilities, communication, or social/behavioral disruption) are common. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent in nature and may cause partial or total functional disability as well as psychosocial maladjustment.
Children who sustain TBI may experience a complex array of problems, including the following:
- Medical/Neurological Symptoms: speech, vision, hearing and other sensory impairment, decreased motor coordination, difficulty breathing, dizziness, headaches, impaired balance, loss of intellectual capacities, partial to full paralysis, reduced body strength, seizures, sleep disorders, and speech problems.
- Cognitive Symptoms: decreased attention, organizational skills, and problem solving ability; difficulty with abstract concepts; memory deficits; perceptual problems; poor concentration, poor judgment; slowed information processing, and poor memory.
- Behavioral/Emotional Symptoms: aggressive behavior, denial of deficits, depression, difficulty accepting and responding to change, loss of reduction of inhibitions, distractibility, feelings of worthlessness, lack of emotion, low frustration level, helplessness, impulsivity, inappropriate crying or laughing, and irritability.
- Social Skills Development: difficulties maintaining relationships, inability to restrict socially inappropriate behaviors, inappropriate responses to the environment, insensitivity to others' feelings, limited initiation of social interactions, and social isolation.
Retrieved from:http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/traumatic-brain-injury/
Accommodations and Modifications
- Accommodations Guide for Students with Brain Injury https://www.brainline.org/article/accommodations-guide-students-brain-injury
- Accommodations & Modifications in the Classroom for a Student with a Traumatic Brain Injury https://cbirt.org/sites/cbirt.org/files/resources/classroomaccommodations_ocamp.pdf
- Classroom Modifications and Strategies
for TBI Students http://ese.dadeschools.net/tbi/2classroom.html - Accommodations and Teaching Strategies for Traumatic Brain Injury: Information You Need to Know
Inclusion Strategi https://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-inclusion-strategies/63421-accommodations-and-teaching-strategies-for-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-students/ - Accommodations Guide for Students with Brain Injury http://www.tbinrc.com/Websites/tbinrcnew/images/Vol_9_3_Accommodations.pdf
- How to Help: Students with Traumatic Brain Injuries http://www.teachhub.com/how-help-students-traumatic-brain-injuries
Resources
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Traumatic Brain Injury http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/traumatic-brain-injury/
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Traumatic Brain Injury https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/traumatic-brain-injury/
TraumaticBrainInjury.com is a disability community service project of Tools for Meeting Life’s Challenges, Inc. “Tools” is a federal tax exempt, non-profit, charitable organization created solely to provide on request, and at no cost, resources, support and advocacy to empower people with disabilities, their families and allies to lead self-determined lives. Mission is to provide support and advocacy at the earliest possible moment. We work with the families of those disabled by serious and permanent disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury.
Videos:
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wl4-nNOGJ0
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLBPsTRLnQ