Traumatic brain injury: Knowing is half the battle

JACKSONVILLE The signature battlefield wound among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is now moving to the classroom.

And a local college is on a mission to educate its student and faculty about how to teach and study with those who suffer the effects of traumatic brain injury.

Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville recently hosted speakers from the Defense and Veteran Brain Injury Center, or DVBIC, who presented information about the causes, signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury and how they may complicate life in academia for those who have suffered one. While TBI has come to the forefront because of the wars in the Middle East, any blow or jolt to the head such as a car accident or fall can cause a TBI.

Watching this presentation, I realized there were a lot of positive things going on, said Navy veteran Debra Johnson, 46, of Jacksonville. Having been in the military for 18 years, there are a lot of things not heard, not seen and not spoken of; so watching this and having them break everything down to help everyone understand it brings more attention to the topic.

Thought to have suffered a TBI during her service in the Navy after hitting her head numerous times on Naval vessels, Johnson said the presentation has helped her prepare to go to the Department of Veterans Affairs with confidence and explain her symptoms, hopefully prompting the appropriate treatment. Aside from the VA, Johnson said that after seeing the presentation she feels as though there are ample resources available for those suffering from a TBI and its effects.

The presentation explained how a TBI can impact a student in the classroom. Some of the possible affects include cognitive impairments, speech problems such as slurring, impaired social interactions, trouble forming sentences and sleepiness. People who have suffered a TBI may also have trouble understanding auditory instruction or commands prompting them to ask more questions in order to understand.

Just because you ask a question or fall asleep in class, it doesnt mean you have a TBI; but there are some people with TBI who have these difficulties and we need to be aware of them, Johnson said. There needs to be a certain level of proactivity among students with disabilities. You cant expect teachers to know you are having a problem. You need to let them know what is going on and this presentation created a segue for people to talk about it.

As a professor at the community college in the paralegal program, Robert Swietzer said the biggest challenge in dealing with students with a TBI is that they often let their difficulties in the classroom go on for too long before they finally ask for help. In doing so, they limit themselves on how much can be done for them; whereas, if they had said something earlier, better accommodations could have been made.

Now that Ive had this class, I understand how certain accommodations can make a big difference in someones ability to learn, Swietzer said. I feel as though being a veteran myself I may be able to get them to confide in me and allow me to help them a bit more.

Some of the strategies to mitigate barriers to education for those who have suffered a TBI include letting them pick their own seat to reduce anxiety, offering tutoring, giving extra time on tests, allowing sunglasses in class, encouraging note taking and offering assistance without belittling the person. By understanding these possible accommodations, Swietzer said he feels better informed to be able to help his students who need it.

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Traumatic brain injury: Knowing is half the battle