Teacher Competencies
Competencies for Special Education Teachers Working with Students with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Standard 1: FOUNDATIONS
KNOWLEDGE
• Current research, policies and issues that impact the growth, knowledge and practices in the field of special education as it relates to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Federal and State Definitions of Traumatic Brain Injury, Minnesota Rule 3525.1348 (Traumatic Brain Injury Criteria), and recommended practice in the field of Special Education specific to TBI.
• Incidence, causes, terminology, and types/degrees of injury.
• Differences in eligibility, methodology and educational programming when comparing TBI to other special education categories.
SKILLS
• Locate information regarding historical perspectives, research, and legal aspects through a variety of resources and tools.
• Define common medical and educational terminology related to TBI.
• Identify state and national incidence, trends, and causes of TBI.
• Define brain anatomy and functions, related implications for learners following injury, and long term effects of injuries.
• Identify common medical diagnostic tests and scales and their applications for determining recovery outcomes.
• Identify general patterns of dysfunction by location and type of brain injury.
• Distinguish between non-traumatic and traumatic brain injury, and identify similarities and differences in regard to evaluation, criteria, protocol and learner implications.
Standard 2: DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNERS
KNOWLEDGE
• Educational implications of different types and degrees of brain injury, and age of onset.
• Awareness of healthcare issues that may accompany a TBI.
SKILLS
• Identify learning issues unique to students with TBI.
• Define characteristics of mild, moderate and severe brain injury; general patterns of dysfunction by location and type of injury; and age of onset.
• Identify potential changes resulting from TBI in the areas of cognition, language, motor, sensory, physical, and social/behavior domains.
• Recognize common healthcare issues, including medications.
Standard 3: INDIVIDUAL LEARNING DIFFERENCES
KNOWLEDGE
• Effects of age and pre-existing disabilities at the time of injury on recovery and learning.
• Differences and similarities between learner characteristics of TBI and other special education categories.
• Integration of individual learning differences related to TBI into educational programming and expectations.
SKILLS
• Integrate knowledge of individual learning differences into educational programming and expectations.
• Recognize common secondary health care issues that may occur as a result of a TBI.
Standard 4: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
KNOWLEDGE
• Instructional practices, curricula, strategies and adaptations necessary to accommodate characteristics of individuals with TBI.
SKILLS
• Adapt, modify, or structure the environment and/or curriculum based on an understanding of TBI and the individual needs of the learner.
• Identify strategies to promote positive attentional processes, memory, and organization skills, including remediation and compensation strategies.
• Identify and communicate the student’s strengths and needs, and how they impact learning and behavior.
Standard 5: LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
KNOWLEDGE
• Behavior intervention strategies that are research-based and have been proven successful for learners with TBI.
• Characteristics of TBI and potential impact on personality, social communication skills, and behavior.
SKILLS
• Identify strategies that promote positive interpersonal interactions.
• Demonstrate methods required to define and evaluate behaviors that interfere with learning.
• Identify behavior intervention strategies that reflect antecedent management.
Standard 6: LANGUAGE
KNOWLEDGE
• Potential effects of TBI on language-related learning and social/communication skills.
• Impact of assistive technology on learning.
SKILLS
• As a team, identify remediation and/or compensation strategies for language deficits.
• As a team, identify a range of assistive technology options for students with TBI.
Standard 7: INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING
KNOWLEDGE
• Promising practices in the area of TBI as they relate to individual education plan (IEP) development, integration of related services, collaborative teaming, and learner implications.
SKILLS
• Develop an IEP that reflects the unique needs of a student with a TBI, including short- range goals and frequent review schedule.
• Monitor and adjust educational expectations related to the student’s present level of performance.
• Utilize specific record keeping and data collection methods to document student progress.
• Assist in the development of an individual health plan (IHP), emergency procedures and/or emergency evacuation plan, as needed.
Standard 8: EVALUATION
KNOWLEDGE
• Special education evaluation components for a student with TBI.
• Understanding of evaluation reports completed by outside agencies/individuals as they relate to the special education evaluation process (e.g. neuropsychological evaluations).
• Tools and protocols commonly used to evaluate students with TBI.
SKILLS
• Proficient with informal criterion-referenced and standardized evaluation tools commonly used with students with TBI.
• Demonstrate observation and interviewing skills as they relate to the student evaluation process.
• Write a comprehensive evaluation summary that may include information from other agency evaluations and addresses learner implications related to TBI and educational programming.
• Apply evaluation results to TBI eligibility criteria for qualification process.
Standard 9: PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL PRACTICE
KNOWLEDGE
• Professional resources in the area of TBI.
SKILLS
• Participate in continuing professional development in the field of TBI.
Standard 10: COLLABORATION
KNOWLEDGE
• Hospital discharge planning process, reintegration to school, and agency/team member roles.
• Local and state agencies and resources that provide services for students with TBI and their families.
SKILLS
• Communicate with all team members, including outside agencies when appropriate, to assure effective collaboration and teamwork as they relate to educational programming.
• As the identified school contact person, attend the discharge planning conference and/or speak directly with treating physician and therapists to obtain the medical information needed for a smooth school reintegration process.
• Explain state TBI criteria, evaluation process, school policies, and procedures to medical personnel as part of the reintegration process.
• Provide in-service training and resources on TBI to other school personnel, classmates, and families.
2/04
MDE E-mail Updates