Brain Injuries and Cognitive Disabilities in the Classroom

Cognitive disabilities can be the result of learning disabilities from birth or from a brain injury. Regardless of the reason for it, those children who have these disabilities can have difficulties in the classroom.

Disabilities can include sensory impairments such as visual or hearing; physical or motor difficulties or, cognitive disabilities with mental tasks and processing. This can include difficulty with reading or comprehension because of problem-solving difficulties, and memory or attention/focusing. Problems such as these can be the result of a traumatic brain injury, autism, dyslexia, ADHD or a health or emotional problem.

For those children that have a brain injury or a learning disability, the classroom can be a scary place to be. Classrooms are often overcrowded and may appear chaotic to a child with a disability.

The prevalent philosophy is for all children to be treated equally so they feel that they fit in. But this is obviously not working. Many of these children need to be treated differently in order to learn because many of them have different learning requirements than those in the general education classroom. These problems often require an appropriate learning format for their type of disability.

Some children have difficulty with time constraints and work more efficiently at their own speed. This is very difficult in a general classroom situation where everyone is supposed to be working together and keeping up. These children are likely to be left in the dust and the spotlight will be on them. This will make them feel even more different than if the teaching had been geared to their own learning requirements right from the beginning.

It is difficult for a student to receive this type of support for their cognitive disabilities within the school system because of the lack of funding. It is very difficult, if not nearly impossible, for one teacher to handle a mixed bag of disabilities with the necessary strategies required to suit each disability. In order for there to be success, it is necessary for there to be some assistance within the classroom but this is often not the case. Funding in many schools has been lost and there are few teachers aides available in many schools.

There have been some suggestions made such as the restructuring of how classrooms operate. Another idea has been differentiated instruction (tailoring instruction to meet individual needs) done with a flexible and individual approach; using peer tutoring and, grouping students who struggle.

There is no easy solution but it is clear that the present classroom situation does not work for all children. Although there are approaches that can help, it boils down to the need for further funding for schools, with more teachers aides, so that all children can receive the education they require.