| A traumatic brain injury
(TBI) is an inury to the
brain caused by the head being hit by something or shaken
violently. This injury can change how the person acts, moves, and
thinks. A traumatic brain injury can also change how a student
learns and acts in school.
Educational Implications
Although children with TBI may exhibit characteristics similar to
learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation,
their educational needs are often quite different. Their
disability has happened suddenly and traumatically. When
children with TBI return to school, their educational and emotional
needs are often very different than before the injury. They
can often remember how they were before the brain injury. This can
induce many emotional and social changes.
It is extremely important to plan carefully for the child's return to
school. The child will need to be evaluated thoroughly to
determine the student's educational needs.
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Characteristics |
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The term TBI is used for head injuries that can cause changes in one or
more areas, such as:
- thinking and reasoning;
- understanding words;
- remembering things;
- paying attention;
- solving problems;
- thinking abstractly;
- talking;
- behaving;
- walking and other physical activities;
- seeing and/or hearing, and
- learning
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Incidence |
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More than
one million of the students served in the public schools'
special education programs in the 2000-2001 school year were
categorized as having a speech or language impairment.
Not included in this estimate are children who have
speech/language problems secondary to other conditions such as
deafness. Language disorders may be related to other
disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, or cerebral
palsy. It is estimated that communication disorders
(including speech, language, and hearing disorders) affect one
of every 10 people in the United States.
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IDEA Definition |
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acquired injury to the brain
caused by an external force, resulting in total or partial
functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that
adversely affects a child's educational performance. The
term 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. |
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Info |
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For more detailed information, visit NICHCY.
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