Coincidentally, Dr. Hill’s
presentation was very similar to a presentation I recently gave for my
Psychological Assessment class. His
conversation triggered a lot of thought for me, as every day, I work with
people who have sustained a brain injury.
I feel that many people are extremely unaware of the functions of the
brain, even though they may be working in a field that may require great
knowledge to serve a student accordingly, or at least make a referral out to a
specialist. It was interesting listening
to the questions that were asked throughout the presentation. I am not sure of what the requirements are
for training for school counselors in regards to brain injury, but I think it
would be beneficial (if it is not a requirement) that counselors attend at
least one Brain Steps presentation.
Brain Steps is an organization that provides educational information for
those who work with children who may have a brain injury. The goal of Brain Steps is to ensure the
staff have an understanding of the injury, the side effects, the implications,
and the recovery process. I have been to
two presentations in the past and my clinical director often is a speaker.
On a side note, the brain really is
an extremely impressive organ that is difficult to describe. Someone asked about the plasticity of the
brain. Really, there is not just one answer
to her question. No brain heals the same
as another brain because so many factors play a role. Age range plays a part but so do many other
things with concussion, brain injury, and recovery including: overall health,
home environment, rest, , cognitive therapy, psychotherapy and support systems,
individual perspective, and determination amongst a list of things we have not
been able to explain. Some people with
more “severe” looking injuries will recover more than those with “less” severe
injuries. Unfortunately, we do not know
the reasoning behind it.
I feel that the ImPACT Test should
have been mentioned at some point in the presentation. The impact test is a test that measures an individual’s
brain function by measuring several mechanisms of brain activity including:
memory, reaction time, visual motor skills, attention span, and processing
speed. It is computer generated, which
avoids much of the examiner errors that could occur. Unfortunately, not all students would have
taken the pre-test to assess their level of regular cognitive functioning, but
could be compared to a group average. A
problem with the Impact test is that it is very expensive and is not a sole
diagnostic measure, but with brain injury, there is no such thing.
If students are appearing to be
faking symptoms, I would recommend the students be taken to a specialist such
as a neurologist or occupational or physical therapist who work mainly with
brain injury. They will be better able
to identify the symptoms that may or may not be consistent with the student
report.
As for the group presentation last
week, they included various activities from different subjects in school. It was a good way to keep the students
involved. I liked that they were able to
think creatively to include a wide scale of information. It is interesting how the direction changes
focus from elementary, to middle school, to high school (which my group
presents tonight).
I think Brown (2007) offered some
insightful information in regards to the labor market and the foreseeable
changes. The impact technology has on
the world is really amazing. It is
mostly a good thing, but those who may be older or who have not been exposed to
the changes in technology may be faced with greater challenges and face a
greater risk of unemployment if they cannot seek the training.
Here is a link that provides information regarding brain injury and concussion (Brain STEPS website):
References
Brown, D. (2007). Career information, career counseling, and career development (9h ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
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