If You Suspect a Student Has a TBI

If you think one of your students has a traumatic brain injury, the following are some common difficulties to look for:

Communication

• How does the student follow directions?
• What types of directions are most easily followed?
  • Spoken directions
  • Written or visual directions
• How much structure does the student need to follow directions?
• Does the student often forget verbal directions? Even with reminders?
• How is the student’s vocabulary, rate of speech, grammar and ability to respond to questions?
• What is the student’s ability to carry on a conversation (fluency, ability to track conversation and respond appropriately?
• How are the student’s listening skills? (interrupting the class, asks for repetition of information previously presented or directions multiple times)

Organization

• Does the student become confused, irritated or lost changing tasks within the classroom?
• Does the student become physically lost changing classes – even if it is a familiar route?
• How are the student’s organizational abilities?

Physical

• Does the student show signs of fatigue or irritability?
• How is the student’s dress & hygiene?
• What is the student’s rate of body movements? (slow, halting, rapid or impulsive).
• How are the student’s spatial skills? (getting lost, misreaching)
• What are the student’s motor mannerisms (balance, muscle tone, restlessness)

Academic

• Does the student begin and end assignments independently?
  • Are cues needed?
  • What cues are needed?
• Does the student stay on task? How long? Under what circumstances?
  • Does the student need cues or structure to stay on task?
• Are assignments incomplete or do they have errors that appear to be careless?

Social

• How is the student’s judgment about safety and social situations?
• How is the student’s affect (flattened, aroused, depressed, under responsive)?

Cognitive

• Does the student have difficulty knowing what to pay attention to when there are several distractions?
• How is the student’s attention span? (attentive, distractible, variable throughout the day)
• Does the student have difficulty understanding new concepts in a specific academic area?
• Is the student’s rate of learning and performance slow or reduced?
• How is the student’s behavior (social appropriateness and ability to modify behavior to fit the situation)?
• What is the student’s memory for new learning?