Tori+Introduction,+Traumatic+Brain+Injury

**Introduction:** My name is Tori Slembrouck. I was born and raised in Klamath Falls OR. My first career was a produce clerk/manager for Safeway, I was there 25 years. I raised my two children, Dillon and Savannah in Klamath. I love this community and consider it a great place for raising children. My children have gave my life purpose. Now that they are raised I look forward to "Tori's Life Part Two." I graduated from Oregon Institute of Technology in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in Applied Psychology. I am currently in the MAT at Southern Oregon University. I aspire to teach either junior high math or fifth graders. Unlike many of my classmates, I do not have very much experience working in the schools. I think this is my fear. I believe I can learn, but this is a disadvantage for me when it comes to looking for a job. Technology has been very hard for me to learn. I make many mistakes and very often I am not successful on the first try. It is humiliating when I cannot figure out some things that come so easy to others. I have found that there are many kind souls in our educational system that will take the time to help me. I am much better at many technological processes than I used to be. I found that the key is to not be afraid of it. With this attitude many of my mistakes are posted in wrong places or not done completely right at first, but I am learning and will continue to strive to catch up with my colleagues. The frustration I feel while going through this learning process helps me to be sympathetic to students when they are struggling. I know for me I need the person who is showing something to slow down, remember how it is to learn, break it into pieces and logical sequences. I need for them to try to understand what it is I am confused about. As a teacher I hope to scaffold my students to the point that they can feel confident on their own. The inclusion course at SOU cannot teach me how to attend to each individuals' needs. I hope to gain insight on disabilities and find practical strategies for helping students with special needs. I strive to be a strong teacher in the area of dealing with diversity. I believe all students are diverse to a point. I know all children have contributions to make to our community, and I want to support them in every possible way.

This subject has touch my life in a profound way. My best friend, a person I feel closer to than most anyone in the world is the parent of a man who was in a car wreck fifteen years ago, and is still deeply changed because of it. It was the day before valentines day and my friend heard the police over a scanner responding to a wreck. They said the injured person was around twenty, so she didn't worry. Her son was only fifteen, but it was him. He was very athletic so they had guessed his age wrong. Her boy was in the hospital. I was afraid to go and visit, I didn't know what to expect, but I went because she would have been there for me. There her son laid, he looked like he was sleeping. Not a scratch on him. He was in a comma for months. The doctor said his brain rattled around inside his head, like a golf ball inside a tennis ball. We didn't know what to expect. The doctors were not optimistic, they said he may never speak or walk again. When he first came home he was in a wheelchair, and he could not speak much at all. He went to therapy and received excellent care from his family. His speech has returned, but his words come slow and a little muffled. He did start to walk again, he still walks with a cane, he does not have control over his right side. This young man used to babysit my children. He was funny and full of life, everyone liked him. The social security department wanted him to return to school so his mother could work. They tried multiple placements for him, but he was kicked out of each one because of his impulse control problems. He has lost his sense of consequences, along with most of his short term memory and no one is able to care for him except his mother. His problems run very deep, I could write paragraphs for hours and you would understand that teachers at school are simply not equip to handle the aftermath of what this sort of injury can cause. He tried working for Goodwill once, but he could not stay on task, so that did not work out. I feel for my friend because she has given her life to take care of him, and she misses the son she use to have. She sleeps on the couch because he gets up at night and will go and visit people. One time he was found in a neighbors house at 4:00 in the morning, people are not very sympathetic. My neighbor says she has not had a full nights sleep in fifteen years. It isn't something any parent could prepare for or ever expect.
 * Traumatic Brain Injury:**

1.Traumatic brain injuries are far more common than I ever imagined. It is one of the leading causes of death and disability among children, adolescents, and adults. While we do not know the numbers of people with TBI who receive no medical care, of the approximately 1.4 million who go to the hospital, 50,000 die, 235,000 are admitted for medical stabilization and treatment, and 1.1 million are treated and released annually in the United States. Often called the ‘Silent Epidemic,’ 2. TBI has a different affect on family members than other disabilities. It is not something that anyone ever thinks they will have as part of their life. This is extremely difficult, the whole family is adjusting to a new reality. 3. I did not know that victims may not know how to play to their strengths, recognize their weaknesses or when to ask for help. This is important insight as a teacher. 4. Helping students by using memory strategies, accepting inconsistencies in work, and explaining in very simple terms is helpful for the student with TBI's success. 5. My experience is very different than the ones I learned about as I researched. My neighbor says every situation is very different. She said she read a lot of research that did not apply to her situation. One thing she said is constant is that she was told that she would probably not care for the rest of her family like she would normally, she swore that would never happen, and looking back she feels like they do not get the attention they need. She said research told her she would not take care of herself like she should, and looking back she sees that this is also true.
 * The top 5 things I learned while researching:**

[] This journal is a step by step plan for teachers. Lesson one, prepare the educators, Lesson Two: Prepare the Student Peer Lesson Three: Move on From No, a school is only as good as its response to the needs of individuals students Lesson Four: Structure a Purposeful Environment Lesson Five: Partner with the Advocate Lesson Six: Recognize New Student in Old Package Lesson Seven: Stimulate Creativity Lesson Eight: Encourage Activism Lesson Nine: Beware of Invisibility Lesson Ten: Facilitate Transition to Postsecondary Education rated 5
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Trudel, T. M., Scherer, M. J., & Elias, E. (2011). TBI-ROC Part One: Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury--An Introduction. //Exceptional Parent //, //41 //(7), 33-37. This paper gives an excellent description of the many faucets that can be affected by TBI. The statistics are shocking of how prevalent of a problem this is. It tells us of the physical cognitive and psychosocial and behavioral changes that are caused by accidents. The physical symptoms include seizures, motor control and coordination problems, paralysis, spasticity, tremor, dizziness, balance/vestibular problems, sensory deficits, swallowing problems, difficulty speaking, fatigue, pain headache and incontinence. Cognitive symptoms include adversely affected skills in areas such as attention, concentration, learning, memory, processing speed, visual perception, language motor planning and time perception. Frontal lobe injuries often related to car accidents causes deficiencies in executive functioning. Executive functions reflect activities that help a person to be successful in the world. These skills are organizational skills, goal setting, problem solving, abstract reasoning, delaying gratification, managing drives (inhibition) and self awareness. These people may not know how to play to their strengths, spot their weaknesses and know when to ask for help. It can lead to depression, irritability and depression. Some behavioral problems stem from the injury, and some come from the reaction to being injured. Parents, spouses and siblings can all be changed by the injury. The experience can result in role changes, on-going rehabilitation needs and financial hardships. rated a 5 for information.
 * 2

[] Here is twenty tips for teachers who have students with TBI. All injuries can be so different, but this is a place to start. rated 5 for usefulness for teachers.
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[] This website is great for understanding the different challenges that face people who have traumatic brain injuries. It provides good information about why people are affected in very different ways while dealing with a very hard situation. The web-site is user friendly and easy to understand. rate a 4
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Keyser-Marcus, L., Briel, L., Sherron-Targett, P., Yasuda, S., Johnson, S., & Wehman, P. (2002). Enhancing the Schooling of Students with Traumatic Brain Injury, TEACHING Exceptional Children, 34(4), 62-67 This article highlights the steps teacher should take to find their students with TBI's strengths. The evaluations they use are assessments of neuropsychological functioning: This includes executive functioning, communication, educational intervention, compensatory strategies, environmental modifications, alternate assessments and developing instructional plans. rated 5 for teachers
 * 5

#6 Witte, R, (1998). Meet Bob, a Student with Traumatic Brain Injury. //Teaching Exceptional Children,// 3(3), 56-60. This article is a story that tracks a seven year old's experience with a head injury. It is very sad. It tell how he copes, an much of it has to do with the fact that teachers and parents in his life are educated about his condition. rated 4

#7

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This pdf is a long set of lesson plans. The plans include many ideas including; social skills, nonverbal clues, memory exercises and monitoring.

rated 5 for teachers.

[] This article tells the story of a patient with TBI. It is a source that has information in many areas. It defines TBI, talks about how common it is and the signs of it. It gives information on schools, and tips for parents and teachers. rated 4
 * 8

[] The Mayo Clinic has this site for TBI. It is like other sites in many ways with information about symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, prevention and coping and support. Unlike other sites it tells us about tests and diagnosis, I found this interesting and useful information to have.
 * 9

__Disability Community Based__ Learning __Project__

For my project I arranged to observe a IEP meeting. I met with Don Houk, the resource specialist at Ponderosa. He suggested I come to a regular learning __disability__ student's one year review. The young man that the meeting is for is in regular classes but struggles with learning __disabilities__. The meeting was to be attended by the boy's mother, a member of the district administration, Mr. Houk, and classroom teachers.

We waited for the members of the team to show up and I asked Mr Houk about his position at the school and what his responsibilities are. He told me he has forty seventh grade students that he helps throughout the day. He co-teaches in the math class where many of his students are concentrated. He admits to not being a "math person", but he is able to learn the lesson as it is taught and then help his students individually so they can be successful. He also pulls some students out of their exploratory classes in the morning for small group work on concepts that take more practice.

We waited for the members to show up for about a half an hour. Mr. Houk said that he sent out three notices to the parents. Two by mail, one directly after they had agreed on a time to meet, and one a few days before the meeting. He also made one notice by __phone__ the day before the meeting to ensure the parents knew where to go and what time to be there. The student's Social Studies teacher and his Science teacher was there waiting with us.

They decided to __start__ the meeting because the review was due in by the next day and they could not wait to make another appointment.

The Social Studies teacher said that the student was doing very well in her class with the interventions they had in place. She said that he had turned in all but one assignment in her class and that this was a big improvement over the first quarter of the year. She said the most important thing was for this student to feel safe. She said that he still has bad days, but some were worse than others. She mentioned that she thinks he has short term memory loss. She said he will get real mad, and in a few minutes he does not remember what he is mad about or even that he was mad. She said he is the only student that has quoted JFK in a fable.

The teachers agreed that this is a "wonderful kid." The Science teacher also agreed with the idea that he may have memory loss, saying that the student doesn't always understand what he does. She will check with him when he is having what she called a "weird blank-out" and he does not even realize his actions. She agreed that his behavior has improved over the year, but she worries about his ability to focus. She says also he frets about things he has no control over, like the end of the world.

The members decided to close the meeting after their discussion. The parent did not show up. I thought about attending another meeting, with a parent, for comparison. I may do that, but for now my experience with the Special Education Program showed me that there is dedicated teachers that truly care for students with disabilities. I learned that they will be advocating for what is best for the student.

My personal reflection is that I left with mixed feelings about the process. On the one side the teachers and the Special Education specialist seemed to care for the student. They talked about this young man's strengths and how they could build on them. They spoke about the sensitive issues that surround this boy and how he could be helped on a day to day basis. They were all knowledgeable and had good input on the interventions that have been working and that they should continue them. On the other hand I was disappointed that the mother did not show up for the meeting. What was more disturbing to me was that the review they were working on was due to be submitted that day. They had scheduled the appointment this late on purpose. I was told this by the Specialist. He did not want to have to reschedule many times. This meant that if the parents do not show up for any reason, the meeting would be held and satisfied without their input. I do not know enough about this process to object, but this felt wrong to me. I want to say the school contacted the parents three times and gave them plenty of notices, so I guess if they couldn't make it they should have rescheduled right away. I wanted to visit another IEP because of the lack of participation in the one I did visit, but there was only one more opportunity to sit in on one and Mr. Houk told me he thought it would make the parents uncomfortable. I did not want to put them in that position, so I took Mr. Houk's advise and did not attend. The meeting I attended taught me that teachers need to be invested in their students. When students have IEPs they need to be even more aware of the students actions, comments, and even their thoughts, if they are shared. This will help the teachers to implement the correct types of interventions that can help the student. They need to keep close track of these students to know whether or not the interventions are working. I believe keeping data is the only way to really know whether or not they are working. They IEP I observed showed me how the IEPs can really work.