Educational professionals' understanding of childhood traumatic brain injury

To determine the understanding of educational professionals around the topic of childhood brain injury and explore the factor structure of the Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire (CM-TBI).

Cross-sectional postal survey.

The CM-TBI was posted to all educational establishments in one region of the UK. One representative from each school was asked to complete and return the questionnaire (n = 388).

Differences were demonstrated between those participants who knew someone with a brain injury and those who did not, with a similar pattern being shown for those educators who had taught a child with brain injury. Participants who had taught a child with brain injury demonstrated greater knowledge in areas such as seatbelts/prevention, brain damage, brain injury sequelae, amnesia, recovery and rehabilitation. Principal components analysis suggested the existence of four factors and the discarding of half the original items of the questionnaire.

In the first European study to explore this issue, it is highlighted that teachers are ill-prepared to cope with children who have sustained a brain injury. Given the importance of a supportive school environment in return to life following hospitalization, the lack of understanding demonstrated by teachers in this research may significantly impact on a successful return to school.