SCHOOL-BASED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• Published in: Psychology in the schools Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 567 - 582
• Main Author: Davies, Susan C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-07-2016; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Brain; Concussion; Counselor Role; Head Injuries; Hospitals; Identification; Intervention; Prevention; School Districts; School Psychologists; Students; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Trauma; Traumatic brain injury; Urban Areas; Well Being
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.21927

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, can result in a constellation of physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that affect students’ well‐being and performance at school. Despite these effects, school personnel remain underprepared identify, educate, and assist this population of students. This article describes a model of service delivery for students with TBI in a large urban school district. The district's TBI Program and Concussion Management Team address unique issues related to assessment, intervention, and transition planning for this population of students, as well as prevention and education efforts in the district as a whole. This model involved designating a district‐level school psychologist to serve as a point person for TBI cases, which improved accurate identification of students with TBI, facilitated coordination of concussion management efforts, and provided a smooth transition for students with TBI from the hospital or clinic back to school. Suggestions for increasing school psychologists’ involvement with TBI cases are proposed, including strategies for serving as team leaders, for coordinating progress monitoring, and for training others in the school community about TBIs.