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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

 

Definition:  A child with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a child with an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, which impairment adversely affects the child’s ability to receive reasonable educational benefit from general education. A qualifying Traumatic Brain Injury is an open or closed head injury resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term “traumatic brain injury” under this rule does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.

TBI Eligibility Criteria (1)

  • An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects the child’s educational performance. 
  • The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairment in one or more areas, such as cognition; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory; perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing and speech.
  • The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.  Sec. 300.8(c)(12) of IDEA

TBI Eligibility Criteria (2)

  • To be eligible as a child with a Traumatic Brain Injury, there must be evidence of the following criteria: 
  • Either medical documentation of a traumatic brain injury,
  • OR significant history of one or more traumatic brain injuries reported by a reliable and credible source and/or corroborated by numerous reporters

Important Resources

Building Blocks of Brain Development

Image: Building Blocks of Brain Development Small

Building Blocks of Brain Development is a model of brain development, injury, and support.

Brain Injury Office Hours

Jody Dickerson's OFFICE HOURS:​ ALL times will be 9:30-10:30 AM

TBA

 


BrainSteps

BrainSTEPS Logo

BrainSTEPS consulting teams support school teams in the development and implementation of educational plans following acquired brain injury. 

Learn more about BrainSTEPS Colorado. 


Brain Injury Professional Development

The Brain Injury Professional Development page contains the following learning opportunities: 

  • Understanding the Brain Series
  • Assessment in the School-Age TBI: Focus on Executive Functions for BrainSTEPS
  • Videos about building a healthy brain
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Learning Opportunities
    • 8 Magic Keys
    • University of Washington: A project of the UW Fetal Alcohol Drug Unit

Resources

For Kids & Families

  • All About Me (PDF) - A packet to help adults understand kids.
  • All About My Brain (PDF) - The Building Blocks of Brain Development for Kids
  • Colorado Classroom: Read with Me at Home - Governor Jared Polis, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Colorado Education Initiative are partnering with Rocky Mountain Public Media to provide K-3 learners, and their families and caregivers with direct-to-home remote literacy learning though “Colorado Classroom - Read With Me at Home”.
  • HCP Program

Screening Tools

Additional Colorado Department of Education Resources

 

Join the Brain Injury Listserv

To subscribe to the brain injury listserv:

  1. Open a new email.
  2. In the “To” field, type the email address TBI-subscribe-request@cdelist.cde.state.co.us and send the message.
  3. You will receive a confirmation email. You will not be added until you respond to this email.
  4. If you have a problem, try using “plain” text or check with the technology people in your district.

For more information, please contact:

Jody Dickerson, RN, BSN, MN
Brain Injury Specialist 
Phone: (720) 795-2273
Email Jody Dickerson

Lauren Gould
Program Support Assistant
Email Lauren Gould


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Email

If you have problems with broken links or accessing the content on this page, please contact the Exceptional Student Services Unit at ESSU@cde.state.co.us. Please copy the URL link for this page into the email when referencing the problem you are experiencing.