9 minute read
New brain injury awareness programme to support teachers and school staff
Authored by Katie Roberts at The Children’s Trust.
Supporting every child in the UK with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is a key part of The Children’s Trust’s new strategy, Hope and Ambition. This is a bold ambition, which plans to ensure every child and family affected by an ABI receives information, advice, and support, at the time of need. To give us a national picture of need The Children’s Trust conducted research to help us understand the unmet needs of children with acquired brain injury and their families, encompassing those with concussion, who are often not recognised as having had a brain injury, through to those who have a confirmed, significant brain injury, here in the UK. This included the number of children affected; where they are based; the difficulties they and their families face at all stages from injury onward; what services and pathways already exist to help them; and where there are gaps. The report confirmed the need to develop a range of support pathways for the child and family, across the spectrum of severity. From an education point of view, the report corroborated a lot of what had already been identified in the All-Party Parliamentary Group ‘Time for Change’ report. With it estimated that one child in every primary school classroom in the UK is affected by brain injury1 , and teachers playing a vital role in a child’s development, it is crucial teachers and school staff have a basic understanding and know where to turn for support should they need it. The Time for Change report made some key recommendations for the education sector, to better equip teaching professionals with information to help them understand students with ABI. One such recommendation is that all professionals should have a minimum level of awareness and understanding about ABI, and the educational requirements of children and young people with this condition, and suggests a short online course for all school-based staff.
Katie Roberts
Education professionals do not routinely receive training on ABI, and may therefore lack awareness “ and understanding of the consequences. They may have difficulty identifying what specific support is required and may consequently use inappropriate assessment tools, learning strategies and ” interventions, and monitor and review the individual’s progress less frequently than appropriate.
A HIDDEN DISABILITY
Children are constantly developing, discovering new skills, and becoming more aware of social boundaries. The brain is at the centre of this work and a brain injury can affect almost any aspect of the way a person functions. It is important to remember that while some effects of a brain injury can be seen, other difficulties may not be immediately obvious by looking at a person. Therefore, professionals often compare the effects of a brain injury to an iceberg. The physical effects of ABI can be described as the tip of an iceberg, where there is often a lot more going on under the surface. So, even if a child returns to school and seems back to their ‘normal’ self after a brain injury, this may not be the case.
An ABI can affect a child’s memory, judgement and behaviour – changes that can be missed within a classroom environment. However, if these signs are recognised quickly, early intervention can stop problems from developing into serious long-term issues. That is why The Children’s Trust launched an online awareness
programme in Spring this year to help teachers understand what a brain injury is and how it could impact a child and their learning. The specialised programme was also introduced to professionals at the charity’s National Paediatric Brain Injury Conference in May. The idea behind it is simple – the more teachers know, the more confident they can be in supporting children. Katy James, Head of Community Services Transformation at The Children’s Trust, explains why it’s important to not only make sure teachers are provided with the knowledge and tools to fully support a child but also to help support a child in getting a diagnosis: “Many children and young people with an acquired brain injury return to school with a range of cognitive, behavioural, psychosocial, and physical difficulties that can affect their academic studies and daily life.
“In some cases, a brain injury can be hidden and as a result often missed or misattributed to other causes, so the right support is not provided. Without the right support, children with ABI are at risk of increased mental health difficulties, reduced education and employment opportunities, antisocial behaviour and involvement in the criminal justice system 2.” Over the last 12 months, the team at The Children’s Trust scoped the content and developed plans for its online brain injury awareness programme for teachers and school staff. As the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury the
programme draws on its renowned expertise in providing specialist support to children with brain injury, which spans almost 40 years. The online course has been curated with teachers in mind. It provides important information that gives teachers and school staff a basic understanding of ABI, all set in the context of the school and classroom. The programme is aimed at all teachers but the current pilot, funded by a grant from the Constable Education Trust, is focused on primary school staff. Initial feedback has been very positive, with one primary school teacher noting that the programme was “really professional yet friendly. It was communicated in a clear and concise way that gave all the relevant information we need as a school to support a student.” There are two information pathway options: • An initial introductory session to raise awareness of brain injury, plus • A follow-up session to gain a deeper understanding of brain injury The introductory session is written from a teacher’s point of view, taking the user through the school environment. It presents some of the challenges a child with a brain injury may face during the school day, such as fatigue, difficulty forming and keeping friendships, and memory problems. It then highlights how those challenges may present, from concentration difficulties to not remembering instructions from the teachers in class.
The content syllabus covers: • A definition of ABI • Possible symptoms – such as memory loss and fatigue • How symptoms might manifest in a school day and affect learning • How teaching professionals can support children with ABI • Further reading and resources
There is a quiz at the end to recap on what has been learned.
Delivered online, this session is free to access and can be completed at a time to suit users, taking approximately 30 minutes to complete. To access the programme, teachers and school staff need to register online. They are then sent a link via email. We want to provide teachers with easily accessible resources so they feel confident in supporting a child who may be returning to school after acquiring a brain injury.
Some things you might notice in a child if they have had a brain injury:
movement difficulties scar from surgery speech and language difficulties
Some of the problems or difficulties a child might be experiencing after a brain injury that may not be obvious to others:
fatigue memory issues concentration difficulties anxiety RAISING AWARENESS IN SCHOOLS
“ABI is a hidden epidemic affecting many hundreds of people”3
2. Hoofien et al. 2001, Williams et al. 2015 3. All-Party Parliamentary Group Report “Time to Change” 2018
RAISING AWARENESS IN SCHOOLS
Tyler
Tyler was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of eight. Following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Tyler was doing well and had returned to school.
As Tyler transitioned to secondary school, her difficulties with memory, fatigue, concentration, and balance became more apparent. She felt increasingly isolated and was quickly losing confidence.
The Children’s Trust online awareness course helps to ensure teachers know what to look out for, and what assistance children might need in class to help them to continue to develop and learn.
coming months for teaching professionals who are interested in taking their learning to a more advanced level. The Children’s Trust aims to provide teachers with easily accessible resources so they feel confident in supporting a child who may be returning to school after acquiring a brain injury.
The second part of the information pathway, the more in-depth training, is set to be available virtually or in person. This option can be delivered to all staff from an individual school or representatives from several different schools in a specific area. The team at The Children’s Trust are continuously updating the content and plan to launch the second pathway in the
Do you work with primary schools and want to find out more about the awareness programme? Please visit thechildrenstrust.org.uk/teachers or contact The Children’s Trust via email: getinvolved@thechildrenstrust.org.uk
Find out more about how we support children with brain injury.
Community Community Community Community neurorehabilitation neurorehabilitation neurorehabilitation neurorehabilitation
The Children’s Trust Brain Injury Community ServiceThe Children’s Trust Brain Injury Community ServiceThe Children’s Trust Brain Injury Community ServiceThe Children’s Trust Brain Injury Community Service
Specialist goal-orientated community-based neurorehabilitation Specialist goal-orientated community-based neurorehabilitation Specialist goal-orientated community-based neurorehabilitation Specialist goal-orientated community-based neurorehabilitation for children and young people, up to 18 years old with a for children and young people, up to 18 years old with a for children and young people, up to 18 years old with a for children and young people, up to 18 years old with a confirmed or suspected acquired brain injury. confirmed or suspected acquired brain injury. confirmed or suspected acquired brain injury. confirmed or suspected acquired brain injury.
Bespoke assessment and therapy packages delivered in the child’s environment – at home, in school or a combination of both, including: Bespoke assessment and therapy packages delivered in the child’s environment – at home, in school or a combination of both, including: Bespoke assessment and therapy packages delivered in the child’s environment – at home, in school or a combination of both, including: Bespoke assessment and therapy packages delivered in the child’s environment – at home, in school or a combination of both, including: • Specialist interdisciplinary needs-led • Specialist interdisciplinary needs-led • Specialist interdisciplinary needs-led • assessment with recommendations Specialist interdisciplinary needs-led assessment with recommendations assessment with recommendations assessment with recommendations
• Tailored community therapy including • Tailored community therapy including • Tailored community therapy including • occupational therapy, speech and language Tailored community therapy including occupational therapy, speech and language occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and education psychology occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and education psychology therapy, and education psychology • Skills packages also available including therapy, and education psychology • Skills packages also available including • Skills packages also available including • developing independence, memory management, Skills packages also available including developing independence, memory management, developing independence, memory management, social interaction, and school transition. developing independence, memory management, social interaction, and school transition. social interaction, and school transition.
Get in touch to find out more:social interaction, and school transition. Get in touch to find out more: Get in touch to find out more:
01737 365 864 Get in touch to find out more: 01737 365 864 01737 365 864 www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/bics 01737 365 864www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/bics www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/bics Charity registration number: 288018. Registered address: Tadworth Court, Tadworth, Surrey KT22 5RU TCT_1039 04/21www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/bics Charity registration number: 288018. Registered address: Tadworth Court, Tadworth, Surrey KT22 5RU TCT_1039 04/21 Charity registration number: 288018. Registered address: Tadworth Court, Tadworth, Surrey KT22 5RU TCT_1039 04/21
