Return to school after acquired brain injury in the UK – the educators' perspectives

Abstract

Childhood acquired brain injury (ABI) is associated with poorer life outcomes. Increasing numbers of children and young people are surviving severe brain injury and returning to mainstream schools with multiple impairments. It is widely acknowledged that for these children, their school becomes by default their rehabilitation centre. International studies of this transition and a recent UK government report criticize educators' inconsistent implementation of support strategies, lack of educator training and poor communication between clinicians, educators, child and family. The educators' perspectives of the return-toschool are, however, not well represented in the literature. This study therefore explored the experiences of educators in the UK (N = 10) who had recently facilitated a return-to-school of a child with ABI aged 8-12 (N = 5) using semi-structured interviews analysed by data-driven thematic analysis. The findings highlight common experiences: a continuum of intensive problem-solving with heavy reliance on the Special Educational Needs Coordinator; educators valuing collaboration with clinical specialists in context over general training'; uncertainty over the validity of implementing support strategies from prior teaching experience; uncertainty about how to support the child's emotional needs; and frustration with UK statutory processes for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Recommendations are made for changes to practice and future research.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Exploring the adaptability of TeachABI as an online professional development module for high school educators

“…High school students with ABI have also been shown to be at a higher risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and experience a negative self-concept [ 53 ]. Research affirms the importance of addressing topics such as mental health and ABI as part of training for educators [ 9 , 11 ]. For example, work by Bate et al identified a need to provide educators with training resources for supporting the emotional well-being of children with ABI and longer-term reintegration to school life [ 11 ].…”

“…Research affirms the importance of addressing topics such as mental health and ABI as part of training for educators [ 9 , 11 ]. For example, work by Bate et al identified a need to provide educators with training resources for supporting the emotional well-being of children with ABI and longer-term reintegration to school life [ 11 ]. As such, it is key that ABI professional development resources for adolescents address this topic area.…”

“…This perspective limits student access to educational accommodations [ 10 ]. An additional challenge is the lack of training to equip education personnel with the knowledge, capacity, and resources to support students with ABI achieve school reintegration; an issue that is true across school boards internationally [ 9 , 11 , 12 ]. For example, studies that have investigated educator knowledge about ABI found that educators held misconceptions, had little knowledge about ABI, and were ill-prepared to support these children in their classrooms, adversely affecting the student's school experience [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Adapting TeachABI to the local needs of Australian educators – a critical step for successful implementation

“…Returning to school is a primary rehabilitation goal for the majority of children with an ABI and their families. Upon their return, the school environment becomes a major 'de-facto' site of rehabilitation for children with ABI, with educators, even unknowingly, playing a pivotal role in their cognitive and psychosocial recovery (Bate et al 2021). Educators' understanding of ABI is associated with quality-of-life outcomes, including the facilitation of a sense of belonging and inclusion in the classroom for children with ABI (Wlodarczyk 2012).…”

Returning to education after childhood acquired brain injury: Learning from lived parental experience

“…They also commented on limited information on possible longterm sequelae (Hawley et al, 2004). Recent research with teachers emphasized a need for both basic training about ABI and child-specific professional development with specialist input (Bate et al, 2021). A report to the UK parliament highlighted gaps in training and knowledge within education, identifying the need for clearer pathways supporting RtE after ABI (Barnes et al, 2018).…”