Residential Treatment for Teens with Traumatic Brain Injuries
Many people underestimate the effects of a traumatic brain injury. Following a loss of consciousness after a concussion, teens who have experienced a traumatic brain injury are eager to get back to their old routine and return to school. Sometimes the effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury are not obvious at first impact but become more noticeable later when critical thinking and social interaction increase at school. It can be frustrating for teens and their parents to notice changes in their child’s self-esteem and motivation as they come to terms with the length of the recovery process. Residential treatment centers are uniquely trained to understand the overlap between executive functioning issues and mental health struggles that are common in teens with traumatic brain injuries.
The guide is meant to be comprehensive, but as such, not every section will be applicable to everyone. Instead, we invite you to click on the links in the table of contents to jump to the sections that most interest you.
How Does New Focus Academy Help Teens with Traumatic Brain Injuries?
New Focus Academy emphasizes learning how to identify emotional responses, communicating one’s needs, building emotional intelligence, and learning healthy ways to manage uncomfortable emotions considering the processing differences of their students. Our. qualified professionals have years of experience working with teens who struggle with a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders and executive functioning issues
Teenagers who experience social-cognitive deficits after a traumatic brain injury process information differently from their peers and require new perspectives to learn the same skills. Self-determination, or the ability to guide one’s own life, is the main goal for recovery. Our team works with your family and child to find the specific evidence-based approaches that will help to build confidence, social growth, and motivation to become productive and self-sufficient. Our team’s role in the student’s autonomy lessens as the autonomy of the student grows and they develop greater social and emotional fluency.
What are the Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Teens?
Traumatic Brain Injuries can be caused by a variety of external sources, including concussions, sports, car accidents, falls, or assaults. As the causes of TBIs, vary, the effects of the injury may vary depending on which part of the brain is affected. Due to changes in the brain, different areas may struggle to relay messages to each other, which contributes to teens feeling more easily overwhelmed or overstimulated.
As the teenage brain is still developing, damage to parts of the brain that are already developed can have significant consequences that may not appear until later in life. There is a high comorbidity between traumatic brain injuries and emotional issues due to the intense and unpredictable nature of the injury and the areas of the brain-damaged associated with emotional regulation and executive functioning.
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What are the Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Teens?
- Physical changes: Individuals with TBI may have problems speaking, seeing, hearing, and using their other senses. They may have headaches and feel tired a lot. They may also have trouble with skills such as writing or drawing. Their balance and walking may also be affected, leading to changes in their physical activity or needing mobility aids.
- Cognitive changes: Because the brain has been injured, it is common that the person’s ability to use the brain changes. For example, children with TBI may have trouble with short-term memory or long-term memory. People with TBI may have trouble concentrating and only be able to focus their attention for a short time. They may have trouble listening to others and following along without interrupting. Reading, particularly small print, may lead to headaches or fatigue.
- Social, behavioral, or emotional problems: These difficulties may include sudden changes in mood, anxiety, and depression. Children with TBI may have trouble relating to others. They may be restless and may laugh or cry a lot. They may not have the same level of motivation in school that they once had or may become discouraged more easily. They may struggle with adapting to a new routine and worry that others will treat them differently. As their friend group may change, they may struggle with feelings of loneliness and identity issues.
Academic Struggles in Teens with Traumatic Brain Injuries
If your child is struggling with academic issues after experiencing a traumatic brain injury, a residential treatment center that offers individualized academic support can help your child regain confidence. One of the biggest challenges that teens with traumatic brain injuries face is reintegrating into a classroom environment and expecting to pick back up where they left off. Changing the pace of instruction and offering more individualized support allows teachers to get a better understanding of each child’s executive functioning struggles and their learning style.
Our goal is to help prepare students who have struggled with executive functioning issues for problems they may face in the real world. Our teachers present material in a way that helps students apply lessons learned to their personal lives, which increases their motivation to participate in class discussions. To help students learn self-determination, New Focus Academy teaches Utah Common Core Curriculum with a focus on the Essential Elements:
- Life skills: self-assessment, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision making
- Function math: using calendars, counting money, budgeting, measuring (including volume)
- Functional language arts: reading instructions, identifying important information, reading schedules, using adaptive tools independently
- Community-based living: using public transportation, shopping, time-management, planning for emergencies
- Social-emotional learning: emotional regulation, social & physical boundaries, internet safety, job-specific social skills
