Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unique among areas of eligibility for students with disabilities in federal special education legislation, not in what is assessed, but why the assessment is taking place. If not for the injury, most individuals with TBI would be unlikely to come to the attention of special educators. Few education training programs…

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has swiftly infected millions of people since it was first identified in late 2019. While much remains unknown about the virus, it is increasingly clear that many survivors (including children and adolescents) struggle with ongoing symptoms for months after they receive a negative test.…

Concussions continue to be an injury that is confusing for healthcare professionals, athletes and parents alike. This confusion stems from the fact that not every concussion presents or resolves in the same way. What is known, however, is that coaches must have appropriate screening and identifying practices in place for every athlete at every…

The physical, mental and emotional effects of a concussion vary from one individual to another. Concussion symptoms can affect a student's ability to participate in physical activity and academics. To ensure the proper recognition and care of a concussion, along with the necessary return-to-activity and return-to-learning procedures, the educator…

The school psychology literature base is lacking in information and resources for working with students with traumatic brain injuries, and concussions specifically. This special issue includes five articles from school psychology based researchers committed to increasing the awareness of the identification, assessment, and intervention for…

Cheerleading used to be about standing on the sidelines waving pom-poms. Now, cheerleaders are thrown 10 feet in the air and perform high-level gymnastics skills. For this reason, cheerleading has become the leading cause of catastrophic sport injuries in the United States. Football, which is one of the most dangerous sports, has abundant access…

This article offers compelling reasons for a public health approach to child maltreatment prevention. It outlines a theoretical and conceptual framework to maximize the reach of interventions to a large cross-section of the population, to ensure overall wellbeing and reduce the incidence of child maltreatment. The authors maintain that such an…

School corporal punishment is currently legal in 19 states, and over 160,000 children in these states are subject to corporal punishment in schools each year. Given that the use of school corporal punishment is heavily concentrated in Southern states, and that the federal government has not included corporal punishment in its recent initiatives…

For many students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), postsecondary education presents a new set of cognitive, academic, social, and emotional challenges. Students with TBI warranted services and accommodations through an Individualized Education Program or 504 plan may find supports and services not readily accessible at the postsecondary…

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and lifelong disability in the United States for individuals below the age of 45. Current estimates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that at least 1.4 million Americans sustain a TBI annually. TBI affects 475,000 children under age 14 each year in the United States alone.…

In this article we summarize what is known about nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in youth. First, we describe basic demographic trends, prevalence, and function. Then we turn our attention to the implications of NSSI for schools, school-related policies, and school guidelines. Having provided an overview of the field, we conclude that even in the…

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a blow to the head or other penetrating head injury resulting in impairment of the brain's functioning. Despite the high incidence of TBI in adolescents, many educators still consider TBI to be a low-incidence disability. In addition, school personnel often report receiving little to no pre-service…

There is no evidence that physically restraining or putting children in unsupervised seclusion in the K-12 school system provides any educational or therapeutic benefit to a child. In fact, use of either seclusion or restraints in non-emergency situations poses significant physical and psychological danger to students. Yet the first round of data…

This report is the fourteenth in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on…

Students with head injuries may not be as "low incidence" as previously believed. Recent efforts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2010), the National Football League, and other agencies are attempting to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among students. Along with awareness, there has been an increased publicity effort via…