The Iraq War has brought many issues to the front page. One is Traumatic Brain Injuries with ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff's own story.
Bob Woodruff was recently on television with his wife telling of his long journey back to normalcy after serious injuries from a roadside bomb in Iraq. The poignant story tells of the long journey back to somewhat normal functioning with the help of his patient wife.
TBI Challenges
If an arm is broken, it is obvious to the observer and medical attention is given quickly. It is also quite visible through X-Rays when the healing is finished. That is not so with a TBI. The brain injury is invisible, often changes the personality of the injured individual, and usually goes unnoticed. Brain injuries are not likely to show up on an X-ray or even a brain scan. These individuals are likely to lose friends and even divorce. The spouse no longer recognizes the person they married.
TBI challenges are physical, cognitive, psychosocial and behavior-emotional. Families often bring home a family member from the hospital after a car accident and feel like they are now living with a stranger. While some therapies may improve the functioning of the brain or retrain another portion of the brain, the damage is permanent.
Recent Statistics
More than 5.3 million people in the United States are living with disabilities that are unnoticed to those around them. They are long-term traumatic brain injuries according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1.4 million Americans suffer a TBI. This is more than suffer heart attacks. [Linda Carroll, MSNBC.com, www.msnbc.msn.com, 3-12-07]
"There are countless 'walking wounded' who look just fine on the outside, but who aren't the same on the inside," says Jonathan Lifshitz, an assistant professor at the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. "Ironically, seatbelts, airbags and helmets may have led to increases in TBIs because people who once would have died from injuries in an accident now live."
High School Implications
High schools are likely to have students return after a car accident not be able to retain short-term memory, focus, have difficulty acquiring new information, and a change in personality.
The following information is critical to helping students be successful in school:
When a student returns to school after a traumatic injury, teachers should be looking for the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
