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Recommended Teaching Strategies
Therefore, careful planning for school re-entry (including establishing linkages between the trauma center/rehabilitation hospital and the special education team at the school) is extremely important in meeting the needs of the child. It will be important to determine whether the child needs to relearn material previously known. Supervision may be needed (i.e. between the classroom and restroom) as the child may have difficulty with orientation. Teachers should also be aware that, because the child's short-term memory may be impaired, what appears to have been learned may be forgotten later in the day. To work constructively with students with TBI, educators may need to:
- Provide repetition and consistency
- Demonstrate new tasks, state instructions, and provide examples to illustrate ideas and concepts
- Avoid figurative language
- Reinforce lengthening periods of attention to appropriate tasks
- Probe skill acquisition frequently and provide repeated practice
- Teach compensatory strategies for increasing memory
- Be prepared for students' reduced stamina and increased fatigue and provide rest breaks as needed
- Keep the environment as distraction-free as possible
- Initially, it may be important for teachers to gauge whether the child can follow one-step instructions well before challenging the child with a sequence of two or more directions. Often attention is focused on the child's disabilities after the injury, which reduces self-esteem; therefore, it is important to build opportunities for success and to maximize the child's strengths.
- Find out as much as you can about the child's injury and his or her present needs. Find out more about TBI. See the list of resources and organizations at the end of this publication.
- Give the student more time to finish schoolwork and tests
- Give directions one step at a time. For tasks with many steps, it helps to give the student written directions
- Show the student how to perform new tasks. Give examples to go with new ideas and concepts
- Have consistent routines. This helps the student know what to expect. If the routine is going to change, let the student know ahead of time
- Check to make sure that the student has actually learned the new skill. Give the student lots of opportunities to practice the new skill
- Show the student how to use an assignment book and a daily schedule. This helps the student get organized
- Realize that the student may tire quickly. Let the student rest as needed
- Reduce distractions
- Keep in touch with the student's parents. Share information about how the student is doing at home and at school
- Be flexible about expectations. Be patient. Maximize the student's chances for success