Traumatic Brain Injury

Tamara Hill

Emily Holt

Brooke Elder

Matt Lowing

Created By:

Traumatic Brain Injury is a severe disability that is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the United States.

Traumatic brain injured children have either sustained an injury to the head or an internal trauma such as a stroke or aneurysm.

What is it?

Causes of traumatic brain injury include:

Falls account for 35.2%Motor vehicles account for 17.3%

Being Struck account for 16.5%Assaults account for 10%

What causes it?

There are many characteristics of traumatic brain injury, here are several of them:

Difficulty with memoryConfusionDifficulty with Attention/Impulse Control Emotional InstabilityDifficulty staying awakeSpeech and language deficitsFatigueSeizing

What are the characteristics?

DenialDecreased Problem Solving Skills

Perceptual DeficitsPoor judgment and reasoningMotor (physical) deficits

More Characteristics

Specialized wheelchairsVoice synthesizers speech recognition software screen reading software tinted overlays for reading (this may help

with visual processing) Specialized bed to further assist someone

being able to get in and out on their own. Braille DisplayBraille Embossers and Translators

Adaptive Technology

There are even specialized watches as well as apps on smart phones to do such things as remind people when to take a medication, or when to do certain activities necessary for day to day living, more independently.

 Access Utility:An access utility is a software program that modifies a standard keyboard to simplify operation of the keyboard, replace the mouse, substitute visual cues for sound signals, or add sound cues to keystrokes.

Adaptive Technology (continued)

Augmentative Communication System: An augmentative communication system is any system that increases or improves communication of individuals with receptive or expressive communication impairments. The system can include speech, gestures, sign language, symbols, synthesized speech, dedicated communication devices, microcomputers, and other communication systems.

Braille: A system of writing and printing for blind or visually impaired people, in which varied arrangements of raised dots representing letters and numerals are identified by touch. Each raised dot configuration represents a letter or word combination.

Adaptive Technology (continued)

Give the student more time to finish schoolwork and tests.

Give directions one step at a time. For tasks with many steps, it helps to give the student written directions.

Show the student how to perform new tasks. Give examples to go with new ideas and concepts

Have consistent routines.

Accommodations In the classroom

Two great websites that give much more information on this are: http://www.naset.org/traumaticbraininj2.0.htmland http://www.ciclt.net/ul/bsitf/tr_tbi_CY_Basics.pdf

Check to make sure that the student has actually learned the new skill

Realize that the student may get tired quickly. Let the student rest as needed

Reduce distractionsBe flexible about expectations. Be patient.Maximize the student’s chances for successKeep in touch with the student’s parents

Accommodations (continued)

http://tbi.unl.edu/savedTBI/school/charact.html

http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/causes.html

http://www.projectidealonline.org/brainInjury.php

http://www.brainline.org/content/2009/11/assistive-technology-glossary_page2.html

http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/TBI.aspx

http://www.ciclt.net/ul/bsitf/tr_tbi_CY_Basics.pdf

References