Working With Students With Disabilities

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Head injury is one of the fastest growing types of disabilities, especially in the age range of 15 to 28 years. Over 500,000 cases are reported hospitalized each year. There is a wide range of differences in the effects of a TBI on the individual, but most cases result in some type of impairment. The functions that may be affected include the following: memory, cognitive/perceptual communication, speed of thinking, communications, spatial reasoning, conceptualization, psychosocial behaviors, motor abilities, sensory perception, and physical abilities.

Students with TBI may demonstrate problems with

· Organizing thoughts, cause-effect relationships, and problem solving

· Processing information and word retrieving

· Generalizing and integrating skills

· Interacting with others

· Memory and judgment

Reasonable accommodations may include the accommodations for students with learning disabilities.

A student with TBI may especially need

· An established routine with step-by-step directions

· Books and lectures on tape

· Repetition or some type of reinforcement of information to be learned

· A learning assistant

Page Updated: 06/22/2004