Attention to pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) has grown in recent years, likely due to the increased awareness of mild TBI (mTBI) in contact sports. With this increased attention, along with an increased diagnosis of injury, more students with TBI need services, especially as they return to the classroom environment and progress through school. Support of students with TBI of all severities requires an interdisciplinary team with the school-based speech-language pathologist playing a critical role. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a clinically focused summary of the complexities that exist for students with TBI of all severities and practical steps that can be implemented in clinical practice to enhance service provision for students with TBI.

SLP referral rates in the early acute period for children with brain injury were poor, creating a barrier to rehabilitation. This not only limits access to SLP services, but also may have broader and long-term impact.