For some young people, school is not only a place of learning, but a safe place to get additional support when big events happen in their life. School offers trusted relationships, friendship, connection and distraction to what has happened.
However, when young people have experienced a parental brain injury, it can be hard to engage and concentrate at school, and your teacher may notice changes to your mood or personality. Other changes young people can experience at school after a parental brain injury are:
- Changes to grades
- More time off
- Behaviour, some needing disciplinary action
- Difficulty learning and remembering
- Intrusive thoughts (thinking of your parent rather than what the teacher is teaching)
- Withdrawal (wanting to spend more time alone, than with friends)
- Emotional (angry and moody)
- Head aches and stomach aches
It is therefore recommended that your school is told about what’s happened in your life as they may be able to help in different ways:
- Keeping routines, showing you that you’re safe and life will go on
- Teach you about your body when it is stressed and help you to feel better by finding ways to calm down (like breathing techniques or walk around the oval)
- Giving you choices, when appropriate
- Build positive and calm emotions to help you feel safe
- Help you put words to your emotions
- Talk about what has happened and to ask questions
- Link you to the school counsellor
- Help you feel safe and connected to adults and friends
- Give you opportunities to practice your strengths like kindness, creativity and bravery
- Give you some ‘brain breaks’
- Help protect you from peers/friends who may ask you questions about what happened
- Make modifications to your school work
