Traumatic Brain Injury: What About School? | BrainLine (2023)

FAQs

Traumatic Brain Injury: What About School? | BrainLine? ›

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.

Students with TBI can become over-stimulated easily (from noisy hallways, crowded classes, too much information too quickly), which may lead to difficulty thinking and emotional distress. The student with TBI may respond negatively to an unexpected event or a lack of clear structure.

Students with traumatic brain injuries often need extra time to process information and complete tasks as well as to respond to verbal cues and instructor questions. Encourage the use of schedules, checklists, and notebooks to assist in organizing daily information. Break assignments into smaller parts.

Although TBI is very common, many medical and education professionals may not realize that some difficulties can be caused by a childhood brain injury. Often, students with TBI are thought to have a learning disability, emotional disturbance, or an intellectual disability.

The cognitive effects of brain injury include attention and concentration problems, memory problems and difficulty with motivation and making decisions. This may mean that people with a brain injury become easily distracted, or experience information overload and be slower at taking in and making sense of information.

School-related trauma (like bullying or unfair punishment) often leads to school avoidance, leaving the most vulnerable students behind academically. Trauma also negatively impacts young people's sense of self, making it difficult for those students to feel motivated, proud, and engaged in their learning.

Avoid activities that are physically demanding (e.g., heavy houscleaning, weightlifting/working-out) or require a lot of concentration (e.g., balancing your checkbook). They can make your symptoms worse and slow your recovery.

The child with a TBI may experience poor emotional control. Tasks that the teacher considers to be easy may be difficult for the child, and this may result in an overreaction, such as crying. Whenever possible, redirect the child and refocus on another aspect of the assignment.

If the Veteran's TBI residuals qualify as “total” severity in any of the facets, then the veteran is entitled to a 100 percent disability rating. If the highest level of severity is a 3, then the disability rating will be 70 percent. If the highest level of severity is a 2, then 40 percent will be assigned.

Is TBI a lifelong disability? ›

Moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to a lifetime of physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. These changes may affect a person's ability to function in their everyday life.

Moderate to severe TBI can cause permanent physical or mental disability. Because polytrauma is common with moderate to severe TBI, many patients face additional disabilities as a result of other injuries.

Modifications of duties such as not having to answer phones if speaking clearly is a problem, as long as those duties are not basic to the job. A place to be alone for quiet time away from the job. Rest breaks to prevent stimulus overload and fatigue. Job restructuring or part-time or modified work schedules.

Persons with TBI are often experiencing other medical conditions as well as multiple behavioral health disorders. Common health problems among persons with TBI include headache, fatigue, sleep disturbance, balance problems, pituitary dysfunction, seizure disorders, and vision abnormalities.

Complex activities such as baseball, bowling, and cycling are usually done as a group which can also help improve any feelings of social isolation that may occur after brain injury. Social isolation may interfere with recovery and therefore it's important to find a community in which you feel comfortable and welcomed.

People with a TBI may avoid others, interrupt others, or say things that do not fit the situation or are hurtful. They also may make sexually inappropriate comments. Refusing to do things. People with a TBI may say “no” to doing something, such as going to therapy or doing other activities.

After a brain injury, you might suffer from social anxiety, irritability, anger, depression, feelings of overwhelm, general anxiety, mood swings, or emotional lability (teariness).

Students who have experienced trauma may be particularly likely to experience dysregulated emotions and behavior in school settings, including poor concentration and difficulty staying on task, disruptive behavior, and even verbal and physical aggression towards peers or staff.

As we have learned reactions to trauma looks like many different things. In some children it may appear like an attention issue, in others it may appear that a student is lazy, or resistant. Some students may exhibit lethargy or other psycho-somatic symptoms (e.g. complain of stomach ache, headache, etc.)

They may struggle with sustaining attention or curiosity or be distracted by reactions to trauma reminders. They may show deficits in language development and abstract reasoning skills. Many children who have experienced complex trauma have learning difficulties that may require support in the academic environment.

Do people with TBI go back to normal? ›

The prognosis for mild TBI is usually better than for a moderate TBI, and the prognosis for moderate TBI is usually better than for a severe TBI. With a concussion (mild TBI), most people recover most or all of their brain function within 3 months following injury, with most recovering sooner.

Therefore, a full and functional TBI recovery is almost always possible, even though it might take several years of dedication. But in order to make this type of progress, you must take initiative. In fact, without consistent work, brain injury recovery can stall and even regress.

Recovery time varies but according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, it can take up to two years to fully recover from a TBI. In some cases, it can take from five to 10 years to recover following the injury.

Falls and assault (e.g., shaken baby syndrome or other physical abuse) are the most common mechanisms of TBI in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

After a traumatic brain injury (TBI), people may have problems with social skills. These problems can differ from person to person and can be harder to manage when feeling strong emotions, such as anger or excitement. Common examples are: Feeling out of place and uncomfortable around other people.

Generally, children who have less severe traumatic brain injuries are able to recover more quickly. Children often recover from mild traumatic brain injuries within weeks to months. When effects last longer than this, as is the case for 10 to 30% of children, it is referred to as persistent post-concussion syndrome.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most widely used treatment method for mental and emotional health. It is effective for treating TBI patients. CBT focuses on getting patients to understand why they behave in the way they do. At the root, CBT helps patients uncover distorted or unhealthy thinking patterns.

The most rapid recovery occurs in the first week after mild TBI. Most patients will be back to normal in a week to a month. Everyone recovers differently. People under the age of 40 get better faster.

Methylphenidate is a mixed dopaminergic and noradrenergic medication that has been used to treat both patients with TBI as well as those with other diagnoses with related clinical presentations such as attention deficit disorder.

Yes, you can receive long term disability benefits for a traumatic brain injury (“TBI”). A TBI is a serious and life-changing injury caused by a sudden blow to the head that damages the brain. Suffering a TBI can lead to physical and/or cognitive difficulties requiring intense rehabilitative care.

How many people go back to work after a TBI? ›

According to a study published in Brain Injury, nearly 40 percent of people with TBI or a non-traumatic acquired brain injury are able to return to work after one to two years.

Can a TBI get worse over time? The short answer is: yes, it can. Every brain injury is different and even though many secondary effects of a brain injury improve with time, others may linger and interfere with rehabilitation. Survivors with long-term effects can often present signs of decline in their recovery process.

An individual with TBI may have difficulty focusing, paying attention, or attending to more than one thing at a time. Difficulty concentrating may lead to restlessness and being easily distracted or they may have difficulty finishing a project or working on more than one task at a time.

Newer, specialized MRIs can measure brain function for detecting changes in brain function and structure because of TBI or evaluate the structure of the brain at an even finer level. MRI might show brain atrophy long after the injury, which results when injured or dead brain tissue is reabsorbed after TBI.

Many individuals never fully regain the skills and functioning they had prior to the injury. However, with appropriate support and adequate accommodation, many people with TBI are able to return to work and be successful.

Mistakes made because of the brain injury could damage your confidence and hinder recovery. Be honest with yourself, prepare as much as possible and don't try to rush your recovery. Remember, try not to take on overtime, shift work or new responsibilities until you feel ready.

Two main mechanisms that cause primary injury are: Contact i.e. an object striking the head or the brain striking the inside of the skull.

Examples of accommodations include:

Providing the student with the instructor's (or detailed) notes. Allowing the student to record classroom instruction for later playback. Providing clear oral and written instructions. Implementing assistive technology when applicable.

Attention and memory deficits are the most common cognitive difficulties reported by patients and their families after the TBI.

Patients with severe injuries may be referred to a long-term acute care hospital or to inpatient rehabilitation followed by support services that allow them to return to the home environment, and/or may be transferred to a nursing home or residential care facility.

What is an important goal for patients with TBI? ›

The goal of the interventions in traumatic brain injury is to achieve the highest possible level of independent function for participation in daily activities. It may address the individual's: structures and functions; activities and participation; environment and barriers modifications.

Your contact with a patient with TBI should involve a social greeting, such as “Hi (name), how are you?” A handshake may accompany the greeting. The handshake and greeting are cues to relax. It is important to introduce yourself each time since, due to memory problems, the person may not remember you.

People with TBI may have trouble learning and remembering new information and events. People with TBI may also have problems remembering entire events or conversations. When this happens, the mind will sometimes try to fill in the gaps of missing information with things that did not really happen.

Common physical deficits that a child may experience are problems with motor control, visual impairment, and problems with balance and coordination. Emotional deficits – Because of their underdeveloped brains, children often struggle with managing their emotions and understanding social cues.

Problems may include forgetting names, losing train of thought, forgetting past conversations, misplacing objects, getting lost, difficulty learning new skills. People with a brain injury may experience anomia (a form of aphasia in which the patient is unable to recall the names of everyday objects).

People with TBI may not remember the injury itself. In this case, the brain has not stored the injury as a memory or series of memories. People may remain confused and unable to store memories for some time after the injury. The loss of memory from the moment of TBI onward is called post-traumatic amnesia.

The short answer is: yes, it can. Every brain injury is different and even though many secondary effects of a brain injury improve with time, others may linger and interfere with rehabilitation.

Disinhibition. A common change early in recovery is disinhibition, that is, loss of control over behaviour, resulting in socially inappropriate behaviour. This ranges from a tendency to divulge personal information too freely, to disturbing and unpredictable outbursts of uncontrolled rage.

You can help your brain improve by exercising it and keeping it active. Practice memorizing things or work on crossword puzzles. A memory specialist can teach you different ways to improve your memory. To prevent the loss of your keys, wallet, or important papers, have one place at home where you keep them.

The brain affects how you think; how you feel; how you act. So a TBI can affect your physical functions, thinking abilities, behaviors, and more. The injury can range from mild to severe, and it may increase your risk for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as sleeping problems.

Is a traumatic brain injury an intellectual disability? ›

Several types of brain damage can lead to an intellectual disability (ID, formerly mental retardation). These are: 1) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), 2) congenital brain damage, and 3) progressive brain damage.

Traumatic Injury Long-term Effects

“Trauma to the left side of your brain can cause problems with logic, speech difficulties, trouble understanding others or talking, versus right side injury, which can cause problems processing visual information, neglect, or apraxia - the ability to perform regular or familiar tasks.

Different mental abilities are located in different parts of the brain, so a brain injury can affect some, but not necessarily all, skills such as speed of thought, memory, understanding, concentration, solving problems and using language.

“Any type of brain injury, regardless of severity, can cause personality changes — and some patients may not experience any personality changes at all,” said Dr. Thomas. For patients who do experience personality changes, common symptoms include: Becoming quick to anger or frustration.

Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death.

After a brain injury, you might suffer from social anxiety, irritability, anger, depression, feelings of overwhelm, general anxiety, mood swings, or emotional lability (teariness). But make no mistake: While these symptoms can make it seem like you're a different person now, your personality is intact.

Childhood head injuries linked to increased risk of adult mental illness and poorer life chances. Childhood brain injuries, including concussions, are associated with an increased risk of subsequent mental illness, poor school attainment and premature death, according to a study published today in PLOS Medicine.