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Addressing the Needs of School-Aged Children with TBI

School and Children with TBI

Your patients who are school-aged children may have particular challenges acclimating to a classroom setting. Often, students with TBI are thought to have a learning disability, emotional disturbance or mental retardation. As a result, they don't receive the type of educational help and support they really need.

When children with TBI return to school, their educational and emotional needs are often very different than before the injury. Their disability has happened suddenly and traumatically. They can often remember how they were before the brain injury. This can bring on many emotional and social changes. The child's family, friends and teachers also recall what the child was like before the injury. These other people in the child's life may have trouble changing or adjusting their expectations of the child.

Therefore, it is extremely important to help parents plan carefully for the child's return to school. Parents should be guided to find out about special education services at the school. This information is usually available from the school's principal or special education teacher. The school will need to evaluate the child thoroughly. This evaluation will let the school and parents know what the student's educational needs are. The school and parents will then develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that addresses those educational needs.

You can help parents and teachers by providing them with the "Back to School with TBI" fact sheet, which includes tips for parents as well as a fact sheet parents can give to the child's teacher. The fact sheets are included in this toolkit.

Parents should be encouraged to:

• Learn about TBI. The more they know, the more they can help themselves and their child.
• Work with the medical team to understand their child's injury and treatment plan.
• Keep track of their child's treatment. A three-ring binder or a box can help store this history.
• Talk to other parents whose children have TBI. There are parent groups all over the U.S. Parents can share practical advice and emotional support.
• Plan for their child's return to school.
• Have the school test the child as soon as possible to identify special education needs.
• Educate siblings and peers. Information is available at http://www.thearc.org/siblingsupport/