Brain Injury Special Needs

BRAIN INJURY

Brain Injury

It is important to note that in basic terms, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) seeks to bring together all stakeholders in efforts to ensure that the educational needs of children presenting with various disabilities are sufficiently addressed. The said stakeholders could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to the child’s parents (or guardians), teachers, academic institution administrators, the various support workers, and students themselves. A student reentering school following traumatic brain injury rehabilitation could be eligible for special education. This is more so the case given that under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), traumatic brain injury happens to be one of the diagnostic categories (Smith, Polloway, Doughty, Patton, and Dowdy, 2016). It should, however, be noted that in this case, the needs of the learner are likely to be unique because the extent of injury in this case does vary significantly.

Following reentry, there would be need for parents to closely collaborate with teachers (and where necessary, healthcare professionals) so as to ensure that the relevant the relevant supports are set up. Towards this end, the child’s parents can ensure that the relevant persons (such as education institution principal and special education personnel) have access to any crucial info relating to treatment and evaluation. In effect, the development of an IEP that could be deemed effective depends on the said collaboration and information sharing. There may, however, be need for further individual evaluation – with specific focus areas in this case being inclusive of, but not limited to; language and speech, adaptive behavior skills, assessment rooted in academic capabilities (i.e. in relation to math, writing, and reading), intelligence testing, etc. Traumatic brain injury could in some instances trigger some physical problems. For this reason, physical therapy evaluation could be needed for learners presenting with motor problems.

In effect, the development of an IEP would call for team approach. Insights garnered from all the stakeholders would come in handy in the development of the most viable accommodations for the learner. Accommodations could be deployed in class and during tests. For instance, in the the classroom realm, the learner could be granted preferential seating. Efforts could also be made to ensure that the learner is not exposed to scenarios deemed high pressure. In test environments, there would be need to, for instance, ensure an ideal environment (i.e. with minimal distractions), and grant additional time to complete tests.