Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) §15-761(36) states: "'Traumatic brain injury' means an acquired injury to the brain that is caused by an external physical force and that results in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in mild, moderate, or severe impairments in one or more areas, including cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem solving, sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing, and speech. The term does not include brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative or brain injuries induced by birth trauma.

Two types of conditions qualify under the federal definition for closed or open head injury: 1) direct damage to the brain as a result of physical injury; or 2) damage due to bleeding, swelling, or infection resulting from trauma to the head.

The observed deficits of traumatic brain injury may be grouped in four major areas: physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and executive (planning, organizing, follow through, etc.). Depending on the part of the brain injured and the individual's age at the time of the injury, some problems may not be evident until years later.

Typically, in medical usage, traumatic brain injury refers to the event of the injury rather than the outcome. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), traumatic brain injury refers to the student's functioning and performance as a result of the injury.

A student is determined eligible for special education services if 1) the criteria of the federal definition of a student with a traumatic brain injury is met, and 2) the multidisciplinary evaluation team determines that the head injury adversely affects a student's educational performance. If a student is not eligible for special education and related services under IDEA, it is possible the student may still qualify as disabled under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

How Common Are Traumatic Brain Injuries?
During the 1997-98 school year, 67 Arizona students were classified in the category of Traumatic Brain Injury and received special education services. This number represents .00009 percent of the 794,928 students enrolled in Arizona public schools as of October 1, 1997.

What Effect Does Traumatic Brain Injury Have on a Child?
Head injuries may lead to persistent symptoms, such as: memory problems, attention span problems, lack of energy, disorganization, depression, anxiety, changes in sensory perception, and social/behavioral difficulties. Whereas the symptoms of a mild or moderate traumatic brain injury may diminish over time, a severe traumatic brain injury often results in a permanent disability. Communication problems linked to TBI may include: reduced hearing acuity, reduced reading comprehension, reduced verbal or written expression, inappropriate subjects and excessive speech. School re-entry after the trauma is extremely important. The rehabilitation team and the school personnel must work together to minimize the stress of the child returning to the classroom.