ACADEMIC PLACEMENT AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

The academic placement of 87 children 6 years 6 months to 16 years 6 m onths old who had sustained traumatic brain injuries was determined wi thin 1 year after injury. Forty-five children had returned full-time t o regular academic programs, 21 children were receiving special educat ion support for less than 50% of their classes, and 21 children were e nrolled in special education classes for more than 50% of their time. The predictive power of various patient history variables with regard to school reentry was evaluated by means of stepwise discriminant anal ysis. Verbal IQ at initial postinjury assessment appeared to be the mo st important factor with regard to school placement within the first y ear after injury. Theoretical and research implications are discussed.