Back to school acquired brain injury

22 / FEATURE ➜ TEACHING & LEARNING

Emily Bennett and Gemma Costello from the National Acquired Brain Injury Learning and Education Syndicate (N-ABLES) discuss the progress being made in raising awareness of acquired brain injury (ABI) in education, and outline new guidance to support return to school.

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ver 40,000 children and young people (CYP) in the UK experience some kind of acquired brain injury every year (NHS England, 2018). The majorityt of these will return to the school they attended before their injury or illness, and most will rely on school to play a core role in supporting their rehabilitation and adjustment. Despite this, many teachers and SENCOs report knowing little about ABI, and schools frequently feel unprepared and ill-informed to manage the new needs presented by a child returning to school after an ABI.

RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER ABI

After an ABI, young people and their families are often faced with the challenge of adjusting to a ‘ new normal’ in many areas of their lives. Returning to their education setting is highlighted by many young people as a key goal. Despite this, it is frequently cited as BIO

E M I LY B E N N E T T

Emily Emily is a Consultantis a Consultant Clinical Clinical Psychologist Psychologist in in Paediatric Paediatric

Neuropsychology at Nottingham Children’sChildren’ Hospital.

BIO

G E M M A C O S T E L L O LLO

Gemma Gemma is is a Specialista Specialist Educational Educational Psychologist Psychologist in in Paediatric Paediatric Neuropsychology Neuropsychology and and the the Head Head of of Psychosocial Psychosocial ServicesServices at at The The Children’s Trust.Children’

WHAT IS AN ABI AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT ON A CYP’S EDUCATION?

An ABI is an injury to the brain that is acquired after a period of tyt pical development. ABI is identified as the leading cause of death and disabilityt in childhood and can be the result of accident/trauma, infection, illness, stroke, tumour or hypoxic events to the brain. ABIs can range from mild (e.g. concussion) to severe, with the subsequent need for support in school varying from simple adaptations in the weeks after an injury, to long-term individual support or changes in school placement.

Outcomes can impact on children across all domains. Changes in behaviour and emotions are common, as are cognitive, physical and sensory difficulties. Many CYP also experience high levels of fatigue and changes in their social skills and communication.

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one of the most difficult aspects of their recovery, with children and young people finding school both familiar, yet completely different. There are a number of reasons this transition can be so challenging, including a lack of training about ABI for teachers, the time taken for the SEND system to respond to acquired needs (e.g. EHCP process/funding applications), and a scarcityt of pathways and planning to ensure there is collaborative support across health and education.

DRIVING CHANGE FROM WESTMINSTER

The above issues were highlighted as key recommendations for change in a report submitted to Parliament by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ABI.

The APPG was launched in November 2017 and is led by Chris Bryant, MP. The group ’ s main aims are to raise awareness of ABI and demand improvements in support and services across government departments for people affected by ABI and their families. The APPG’ s report, Time for Change (https://bit.ly/3cHwuej), was launched in October 2018 with education as one of the core elements.

On the back of the Time for Change report, N-ABLES was formed. The group aims to drive forward the recommendations made in the report, and to support education settings to become more ABI aware.

A NEED FOR GUIDANCE

A key priority for N-ABLES was the development of best practice guidance to support the return to education process, ABI RETURN. This was collaboratively created by a group of professionals working with children with ABI and educators from around the UK. The guidance established core principles for support based around planning and preparation, communication and training, flexible and dynamic responses within the system, child and family centred working, and participation and inclusion.

The ABI RETURN guidance includes a poster outlining core principles, forms for teachers and schools to support information sharing and planning of a successful return, and stories from children and young people with an ABI. The accompanying support booklet provides key information about childhood ABI.

It has a range of materials to aid schools as they navigate an often-unfamiliar system; this includes details of professionals who may be involved, and signposting to sources of support. It emphasises the importance of the netwt ork sharing information to support schools as they prepare for the CYP’ s return to education. The booklet also offers insight into how ABIs can present in the classroom, to help teachers in recognising and effectively supporting the often-hidden needs associated with ABI.

For schools who are interested to learn more about childhood ABI, there is also a range of free and easily accessible training and resources available from

The group’s main aims are The Children’s Trust to raise awareness of ABI (https://bit.ly/3cO9UQY) and demand improvements in and the Child Brain Injury support and services across Trust and Eden Dora Trust government departments for (https://bit.ly/3l54fdQ). people affected by ABI and their families. WORKING TOGETHER It is hoped that together, charities and organisations such as N-ABLES can work alongside teachers and SENCOs, as well as politicians and the Department for Education, to improve the understanding of childhood ABI in schools. With schools playing a crucial role in recovery and rehabilitation after ABI, getting their return to school right for CYP can make a real difference in minimising the impact of their ABI, and instead, maximising their participation, self-esteem and success throughout their time in education.