Common Classroom Difficulties

Disclaimer: This information sheet is for education purposes only. Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

A student with an acquired brain injury may have specific difficulties that impact on his/her functioning in the classroom. The following describes the major areas of difficulty following an acquired brain injury. Please refer to the listed fact sheets to find information about these difficulties and compensatory strategies and environmental changes on how these areas of difficulty might be managed.

Communication

• Word finding difficulties
• Slow speech
• Difficulties with sentence/language formulation
• Unable to understand jokes/sarcastic remarks
• Problems understanding spoken or written language

Cognitive

• Poor concentration and attention
• Difficulties doing `two things at once' Eg. Taking notes from the blackboard and listening at the same time.
• Slower to take in and understand information
• Difficulties remembering information, forgets to bring school equipment
• Poor organisation of self and/or work, late for classes, loses school equipment, doesn't bring diary or correct books to class
• Difficult to reason with the student
• Concrete thinking and difficulties with more abstract concepts
• Difficulties identifying or generating solutions to problems
• Difficulty generalising taught concepts or skills - See Flexible thinking & Memory & new learning
• Difficulty getting started with work
• Unable to cope with change in routine, difficulties changing tasks

Behaviour

• Gets stuck on an idea or difficulties being flexible
• Impulsive behaviour
• Poor self monitoring/lack of insight into feelings of others

Physical

• Difficulties writing from the board, copying notes - See Eyes and Vision
• Gets tired more easily - See Fatigue
• Messy or slow to complete written tasks - See Fine motor skills
• Difficulties participating in sport, moving around the school - See Gross Motor Skills & Sport and recreation

Rehabilitation Department The Children's Hospital at Westmead Cnr Hawkesbury Rd & Hainsworth St, Westmead Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, 2145 Tel: (02) 9845 2132 - Fax: (02) 9845 0685 http://www.chw.edu.au/rehabilitation/