Chapter 9: Special Education of Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries: Involving Families

This chapter will focus on families who have a child with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We will begin by describing both the medical and educational definitions of TBI, followed by describing the prevalence, identification, and multiple impairments associated with TBI, and how those impairments affect physical, cognitive, behavior, and social domains. Then, a discussion of the phases families go through after learning that their child has sustained a TBI and how certain aspects of their child’s life may not be the same, depending on the severity of the TBI. Next, strategies the special education specialist and other school personnel can provide to help families become more involved in decisions regarding their child’s education and future plans. Finally, various counseling strategies will be discussed to help families cope with the stress of caring for their child with TBI. In many instances, families become lost in the disability of their child and often forget to take care of themselves. If families do not attend to their own mental and physical well-being, then those unhealthy habits continued over time will ultimately reflect negatively on how they care for their child.