Excerpts

Introduction

Children and adolescents with brain injury can experience problems with speech, language, and cognitive-communicative abilities that will interfere with learning and social interactions. Learning is a primary job for youths. Because learning is language-based, success after brain injury in home, school and the community is dependent on the ability to communicate effectively.

Following are key definitions of terms that are used in this manual to discuss cognitive-communicative disorders that may occur after brain injury:

Communication

Use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and gesturing to either understand an idea or express a thought...

Speech

Production of sounds that make up words and sentences

Language

Use of words and sentences to convey ideas

Cognitive-communication

Use of language and underlying processes such as attention, memory, self-awareness, organization, problem solving and reasoning to communicate effectively.

Students with brain injury often have one or more of the above processes of language impaired. They can also fail to develop new and more complex communication skills over time.

Recognizing these potential changes and intervening to aid the communication process will help the student be more successful in learning endeavors at home, in school, or in the community.

Since language and learning are intimately related, supports for the student that are language based are essential to developing adequate learning skills.

Typically, the speech-language pathologist assists the student by identifying communicative challenges and proposing strategies to facilitate skill development. However, assessment, intervention, and use of language skills to facilitate learning are the responsibility of all who interact with the student. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers, employers, and family members understand cognitive-communication and are familiar with strategies that support communication attempts.

This manual focuses on helping communication partners recognize the cognitive-communicative challenges that can exist after a student has a brain injury. It provides usable strategies that anyone- family, educators or clinicians - can use with the student. As the majority of rehabilitation for children and adolescents occurs at school and in the community, the needs of these students require educators and therapists to plan interactively and proactively.

This manual:

1. Describes common cognitive-communicative behaviors in students after brain injury.
2. Explains how cognitive-communicative challenges can affect the student’s learning and behavior in the classroom.
3. Outlines strategies for learning in school.
4. Suggests ideas for evaluating the effectiveness of strategies.
5. Explains the importance of transition planning.