# data[].attributes.body
Prior to the readings and watching the video, I did have some prior knowledge of a TBI but not a lot. I know that TBIs are usually associated with military Veterans who have served in combat, I know that they are not the only ones who can experience TBI but that is largely what society thinks when they think about TBI.

One thing that I learned from the video is a "minimally conscious state" for someone who has a severe TBI that can come after a period of clarity and that you can go in and out of this state with a severe TBI.

I have no experience with TBI or know anyone that lives with a TBI. I do read Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist, who write fictional stories about real brain diseases and/or injury. When the video talked about all the different support that families must have for their loved ones and the amount of testing that may be required. Genova wrote, "Left Neglected," which is when a mother experiences a TBI from a car accident and the amount of testing that she has to undergo but still has to live with this TBI for the rest of her life and she goes through the symptoms both physical, behavioral, and emotional but ultimately adjusts to this new life.

I think that TBI also is misrepresented in the media much like mental health and other (dis)abilities, where someone who comes out of a coma or deep vegetative state and doesn't have any ramifications such as what we've read or watched.

# data[].attributes.body
Prior to this, I did not know much about TBIs.  It was something discussed, but the level of knowledge was low for me.  It was interesting to learn all the terminology, and the variations of the test to determine where someone is on the scale.  I have had some exposure to TBIs, but my questions are more than my understanding. Questions such as: Is it common for patients to vary in the levels?  How often does one move from one end of the scale to the other?  Is it possible for TBIs to occur in children or adolescents and it go undiagnosed, especially for those in sports or other various reasons?

I kept thinking about a student we have that has a TBI.  We know the tragic background of how the child obtained the TBI but of course we don’t know much more of the details.  However, as an educator, we want to do the best we can for our students.  How can you provide the best education for this child, when the severity of the injury conflicts with their learning: The emotional outbursts, the irritability, the cognitive implications of it.  The examples for educational approaches  and instructional methods were helpful to answer some of these questions.  Yet, with no injury being the same, it would take a variety of methods and experience to be able to know how and what to teach.  Most educators don’t have that information nor have ever been exposed to any training and professional development for students with TBI, or special education in general.  To be more inclusive, I think teacher training programs should begin including base Special education and ELL courses as well.  Anyone else often think it would have been nice to gain this knowledge prior to entering the teaching profession?

# data[].attributes.body
I did not have much prior knowledge or experience with traumatic brain injuries. Because of this, I found it very interesting to watch the video and read the article about TBI’s. I was very surprised to learn about just how complex TBI’s are and can become. The brain is such an complex organ in itself so it would make sense than any sort of harm or damage to any part of it can be quite severe, affecting so many skills like walking, talking, swallowing and even the functions of other organs within the body.

I do not personally know of anyone that has suffered from a traumatic brain injury, but I am interested to read about the experiences that my peers have with TBI’s.

# data[].attributes.body
During the video I learned the different types of traumatic brain injuries and how they range from mild to moderate to severe. I also thought it was interesting that these ranges do not necessarily correlate with the outcome of the individual either. The majority of most TBI's are actually mild with the least amount being considered severe.

I have a cousin who was involved in a four-wheeler accident when he was around 25 years old. He had flipped the ATV and it landed on him and he was in a coma and ultimately diagnosed with a TBI. He was wheelchair bound from the accident and had limited if any movement in his limbs. He ended up passing away seven years later.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been pretty naive to the extent of TBI, I found it interesting to hear the definitions of  mild, moderate and serve that it relates to the amount of time unresponsive. I would be interested to know how frequently the different scales and testing are preformed while a patient is healing. Often times when some one has been concussed we think mainly about their memory, but it can often lead to many problems with a persons motor skills and physical activity.

About 6 years ago I was part of a golf cart accident that caused a TBI for my uncle, he had a long road to recovery and needed many different therapies and rehabilitations. There were many normal daily task that took a long time to return for him to do independently. It seemed like he was a lot more fragile and took a while to regain physical strength.

# data[].attributes.body
I knew a little bit about TBI, but I did not know the extensive list of the causes and prevalence. It's really interesting to know that though us humans are hardy creatures yet we are so fragile. I thought that TBI wouldn't be the leading acquired and cause of death for children. I have seen and heard about kids breaking bones or doing something potentially dangerous for them yet they always come out, "unscathed," or traumatized, that we know of. I never know how to quite react to learning such information. My heart always aches when I hear something drastic, saddening, hurtful has happened to a child, especially death.

I knew someone who had a concussion, but I do not know the extent of how mild to severe the concussion was. I remember her telling me it happened during color guard practice in high school. Her pole landed right on top of her head. She didn't know she had a concussion, but she knew something was not right for the longest time after a few days had gone by. She would be sensitive to lights, had a ton of headaches, would get dizzy, and that it was the worst experience of her life. I believe she is doing better now since that happened to her about 10 or so years ago.

# data[].attributes.body
TBI is caused by a blow to the head or from violent movement to the head. It does not have to be an open wound, a skull fracture, or a loss of consciousness to sustain a TBI.

I cannot express much detail on this subject due to the fact I personally have no experiences or know anyone in my life who has. I did find it interesting there are three stages to being consciousness: minimally conscious state, vegetative state and coma state. As well as the different professional ways to determine how severe the TBI is.

# data[].attributes.body
Before watching the video and reading the article about TBI, I had not really read anything about TBI. It’s interesting how the severity ranges from mild to moderate to severe and how the severity is very dependent upon how long a person is unconscious. I had no idea about this. I did not realize TBI could affect balance, swallowing, and lack of control with bowel movements. I also did not know that it could affect a person’s personality as well. I also had never heard about the coma scales, Rancho Los Amigos scales, or JFK coma recovery scale. Lastly, I did not know that there were three stages of consciousness. This was all new information for me.

I know many people who have had mild TBI due to concussions in sports. One of my best friends in elementary school had multiple concussions growing up. It seemed like the more concussions she had, the easier it was for her to get a concussion from head trauma during sports. She eventually had to quit soccer in order to help protect herself and her brain. In my personal experience, it seems like many contact sports are the leading causes of concussions in the peers around me.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that TBI severity has to do with how long a person is unconscious after the injury.  I didn't realize the length of time a person is unresponsive was so related to whether they would have mild, moderate, or serve TBI as they recovered.

I have a friend who was in a car accident when she was a teenager. She was in a coma afterwards and when she woke up she had to relearn everyday tasks, including handwriting. Her new handwriting is so hard to read, and before the accident it was perfect. She is very reliant on routines and schedules, because that is how she learned to take care of herself as she was recovering. It's tremendous to see how much she was able to learn with the help of her therapists and family members supporting her.