[+] Read about the specific criteria used to diagnose traumatic brain injury.
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education – Criteria for a Diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury
A child has a traumatic brain injury when:
- A traumatic brain injury/head injury has been diagnosed by a licensed physician or through a neuropsychological assessment
- The student's educational performance is adversely affected by deficits in acquisition, retention and/or generalization of skills. Students with a brain injury may have rapidly changing profiles; therefore, educational assessment should include current documentation of the student's functional capabilities and indicate deficits in one or more of the following areas:
- Building or maintaining social competence
- Performance of functional daily living skills across settings
- The ability to acquire and retain new skills
- The ability to retrieve prior information
NOTE ON PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT: A child may also be deemed eligible if the child displays characteristics of traumatic brain injury even though a physician has not made a medical diagnosis of head injury. In such cases, substantial data to document the medical basis for a head injury must be present in the evaluation report.
The SSD Family & Community Resource Center (FCRC) offers books, videos and other resources on
traumatic brain injury (PDF). Materials may be sent home through school mail to families whose children receive SSD services. Others may come into the FCRC to check out materials.
Local Resources
Brain Injury Association of Missouri
www.biamo.org
Brain Injury Association Information Line
800-444-6443
Bridges Community Support Services
www.bridgescss.com
Paraquad
www.paraquad.org
Ranken-Jordan Pediatric Specialty Hospital
www.rankenjordan.org/Programs/BrainInjuryRehabilitation.aspx
State Resources
Missouri Head Injury Advisory Council
www.dhss.mo.gov/HIA-Council
Missouri Traumatic Brain Injury
University of Missouri's Great Plains Rehabilitation
Continuing Education Program (RCEP)
www.tbimo.org
National Resources
Brain Injury Association of America
www.biausa.org
National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC)
www.naric.com/aboutus.cfm
National Resource Center for Traumatic Brain Injury
www.neuro.pmr.vcu.edu
NICHCY Traumatic Brain Injury
www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/TBI.aspx
Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide
www.tbiguide.com 
