Return to school following childhood TBI: who gets services?

Long-term follow-up studies of children conducted during the K-12 school years suggest that problems associated with TBI tend to persist or worsen as children progress through school. A critical issue in service delivery for students with TBI is the significant discrepancy between the incidence of TBI and the identification of children with TBI for special education services. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence identification and service practices for students with TBI. Parents of 56 youth with TBI completed a questionnaire and interview about the hospital-school transition and educational services provided within the first year of school re-entry. A subsample participated in a concurrent qualitative study. Results document that 25% of the sample were identified for formal services (via individual education plan or 504 plan) while over 41% received informal supports (e.g., schedule change, extra time on tests). Results from chi-square and logistic regression analyses suggest that injury severity and hospital-school transition services (e.g., written or verbal communication between hospital and school) were related to the provision of formal special education or 504 services. A critical factor contributing to the identification of students with TBI for special education is the link between hospital and school.