Characteristics of Brain Injuries: Mild to Severe

1
Characteristics of Brain Injuries Mild to Severe

• While the severity of brain injury can be
  categorized as mild, moderate or severe, even
  brain injuries that are considered mild can
  have cognitive, social / behavioral, and physical
  manifestations

2
Important Things to Remember

• The most important things to remember!
• A person with a brain injury is a person first.
• No brain injuries are exactly the same.
• The effects of a brain injury are complex and
  vary greatly from person to person.
• The effects of a brain injury may not manifest
  immediately following the incident
• The effects of a brain injury depend on which
  part of the brain is injured.

3
Factors that affect skills following a Brain
Injury

• Age at time of brain injury
• The area of the brain that was injured
• Severity of brain injury
• Duration of coma
• Time lapse since injury occurred
• Intellectual ability prior to injury
• Personality prior to injury
• Willing to participate in recovery plan
• Environmental / family conditions

4
Mild Brain Injury - Concussion

• Definition
• A concussion is a temporary loss of normal brain
  function.

5
School Nurses Role

• Document which children have had a concussion AND
  let the classroom teachers know who those
  children are.
• Inform teachers / coaching staff on the signs and
  symptoms of concussion.
• Work closely with family / staff to monitor
  children who have had a recent concussion.
• Help keep track of old and new injuries.
• Passing on your knowledge to coaches, teachers
  and families.

6
Cognitive Manifestations

• Memory
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Organization
• Planning
• Sequencing
• Judgment

• Persistence
• Thinking Differences
• Self-perception
• Perception
• Inflexibility
• Processing speed

7
Processing Speed Colorsquickly state the COLORS
you see

• Pink Green Orange
• Blue Yellow Blue
• Red Orange Black
• Yellow Red Yellow
• Black Blue Green
• Orange Orange Red
• Yellow Black Yellow

8
Processing Speed Textquickly read the WORDS
that you see

• Pink Green Orange
• Blue Yellow Blue
• Red Orange Black
• Yellow Red Yellow
• Black Blue Green
• Orange Orange Red
• Yellow Black Yellow

9
Stroop Effect

• Speed of Processing theory the interference
  occurs because words are read faster than colors
  are named.
• Selective Attention Theory the interference
  occurs because naming colors requires more
  attention than reading words.

10
Do You Have a Strange Mind?

• Cna yuo raed tihs?
• Fi yuo cna raed tihs yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid
  too.

11

• The rset can be a taotl mses and yuo can sitll
  raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Wehn yuo becmoe an
  eicffneit raeder, the huamn mnid deos not raed
  ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
  Azanmig huh?

12

• I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
  uesdnatnrd waht I wsa rdanieg. The phaonmneal
  pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a
  rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dsenot
  mtartr waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the
  olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat
  stteer be in the rghit pclae.

13
Behavioral Problems

• Aggression / Anger control
• Poor Attention
• Easily frustrated
• Perserveration
• Impulsivity
• Impulsive
• Depressed
• Mood Swings
• Non-compliant
• Lack of social skills

• Poor persistence
• Physical Acting Out
• Disinhibited
• Difficulty with transitions
• Lack of motivation
• Immature behavior
• Denial of deficit
• Egocentric
• Anxiety and Stress
• Emotional Outbursts

14
Social Problems

• Poor eye-contact
• Inability to stay on topic
• Difficulty forming or maintaining relationships
• Lack of response to social cues
• Invasion of personal space of others
• Withdrawal or Isolation
• High risk behaviors
• Socially inappropriate statements
• Poor personal hygiene
• Sexual acting out
• Excessive self-focus

15
Physical Changes

• Gait deficits
• Cranial defects
• Seizures
• Balance
• Mobility
• Abnormal tone
• Change in vision
• Change in hearing

• Frequent headaches
• Fatigue or weakness
• Spasticity tremors
• Speech deficits
• Decreased strength
• Lack of endurance
• Taste and Smell
• Motor coordination

16
Motor Coordination

• 1. Slightly lift your right foot off the floor.
• 2. Begin circling your foot clockwise.
• 3. Write your whole name in cursive.

17
LEA Special Education Guidelines for Health
Services

• If the health care needs of a student is
  consistent with those typically proved to all
  student within the general education environment
  (core instruction), no health care services are
  warranted.
• If specific health intervention is needed, the
  health care provide should become a member of the
  intervention team.
• Health care services specific to an individual
  student (i.e. brain injury), and Intensive
  Instruction Intervention/Stage 3 Plan should be
  written with the involvement of all team members.

18
LEA Special Education Guidelines for Health
Services

• An Individual Health Plan (IHP) may be developed
  regardless of whether a student is eligible for
  special education services or not.
• A medical diagnosis by itself does not make a
  student eligible for special education services.
• When in doubt speak to your team!