Affiliations: [a]
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| [b]
ABL Schools, San Francisco, CA, USA
| [c]
Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| [d]
University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| [e]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| [f]
Oregon Department of Education, Salem, OR, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Melissa McCart, Ed.D. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA. E-mail: mccart@uoregon.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:In Oregon in 2019, only 261 students were eligible for special education under the traumatic brain injury (TBI) category. Many students with TBIs are not treated by a medical provider, so the requirement for a medical statement could prevent eligible youth from receiving special education services. OBJECTIVE:This study investigated barriers to using a medical statement to establish special education eligibility for TBI, support for using a guided credible history interview (GCHI), and training needs around GCHI. RESULTS:Among participants, 84% reported difficulty obtaining a medical statement for TBI eligibility determination, and 87% favored the GCHI as an alternative, though they reported a need for training in TBI and GCHI. CONCLUSION:The results support the use of GCHI to establish special education eligibility for TBI and informed Oregon’s addition of GCHI to TBI special education eligibility determination.
Keywords: Brain injury, concussion, special education, medical statement, policy, school, services
