New resources take teaching staff through the school environment, presenting some of the challenges a child with a brain injury may face during the school day. This includes fatigue, difficulty forming and keeping friendships and difficulty remembering instructions.
Every year 40,000 children in the UK are left with a brain injury as a result of an accident or illness and many have to live with on-going, long-term difficulties.
The free CPD session, funded by the Constable Education Trust and being hosted by The Children’s Trust, is set in the context of the school and classroom and aimed at those with little or no knowledge of acquired brain injury (ABI). Follow-up sessions are available for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of childhood brain injury.
The charity says that even concussion is a type of brain injury, and one which can alter the way a child’s brain functions. Yet the symptoms of a concussion can be very subtle and not always immediate.
Katy James, head of community services transformation at The Children’s Trust, said: “Many children and young people with an ABI return to school with a range of cognitive, behavioural, psychosocial, and physical difficulties that can affect their academic studies and daily life.
“In some cases, a brain injury can be hidden and as a result often missed or misattributed to other causes, so the right support is not provided. It’s very important to not only make sure we provide teachers with the knowledge and tools to fully support a child but also to help them recognise when a child is struggling as a result of their brain injury.”
The Children’s Trust is a charity that aims to give children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability the opportunity to live the best life possible by providing specialist rehabilitation, education and community services across the UK.
- To find out more about the free CPD session, visit https://bit.ly/3hgCQ62