Assistive Technology for Students with Traumatic Brain Injury

The term Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined by the Center for Parent Information and Resources as, "an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance." In other words, a student with a TBI experienced a head injury which has altered their ability to function and/or engage socially, and thus hinders their ability to learn/perform in an educational setting. In any case, no two students or injuries are the same and thus must be constantly reassessed to ensure the best care is provided. An analysis performed by Julie M. Bowen showed the degree to which a TBI could impact a student range from, "alterations in cognition, physical mobility, self-care skills, and communication skills as well as changes in emotional and behavioral regulation, which may significantly affect school functioning (Fletcher & Levin, 1988)."

When creating classroom accommodations for students suffering from a TBI there are many small things you, as the teacher can do: have a calculator present, use labels around the classroom, recording devices, computers, etc. My favorite, however, is a "Memory Notebook." In this notebook, the student can record their feelings and memories, store maps, checklists, and contact information. By holding all of this important and helpful information in one place, the student has an easier time organizing the information to help restore memory and routine.

When using a checklist, which could even be in the form of post-it notes, the student can assess their own progress by observing their own growth in completing a series of tasks. After the student completes all the tasks they remember, they can double check their own activities by going through the checklist and noting which tasks they forgot to perform. This offers encouragement to the student as often, during times of recovery, it is the small  victories which are  the most encouraging and motivational for the patient. The use of the checklist also offers flexibility for the teacher to add, or remove, tasks based on how the student is progressing. By reviewing the Memory Notebook, the teacher can compare the students reported actions, the students perception of their own recovery, as well as the teachers own observations and records of the students progress. A Memory Notebook is a perfect way to collect the students thoughts and information for both assessment purposes as well as personal motivation.

As far as future treatments and tools of assessing and treating TBI, many new studies have been performed to utilize technology in order to perform a better diagnostic and assessment of TBI patients. Some of these include upgraded neuroimaging, structural/chemical imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, functional magnetic resonance, functional near red spectroscopy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetoencephalography, and stem cells. All of these techniques aim to help better identify the extent of an individuals TBI, as well as offer means of possible treatment, for example, using stem cells to help reconstruct damaged brain cells. By identifying the extent of the damage, and the specific locations where it is located, only then can we hope to properly make advances in treatments. The future for individuals suffering from TBI, however, is looking hopeful, as every day, new advancements are made.




References
http://www.parentcenterhub.org/categories/#adversely
https://www.brainline.org/article/classroom-interventions-students-traumatic-brain-injuries
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2626927/
https://www.naset.org/traumaticbraininj2.0.html