Eileen Baker

I have learned some very useful strategies to assist my students with PTSD and/or TBI including creating self-generated learning strategies that are self-generated and therefore have more meaning and are more effective for the students. The more students can relate to the content being taught, the higher the retention of the content is going to be. Instructors need to do all they can to help these students create personal connections to the new material. 

In a study by R. Butler (2016) it was found that veterans with PTSD felt they needed three things for them to be successful in the… >>>

While I do have a good understanding of most of this information, I found some good take-aways to remember. Regarding self disclosure, which can be very uncomfortable and difficult for some students due to a variety of reasons including that they will be seen as less than or dumb, that peers will be critical, and a desire to be like all the rest of the students and not stand out. Many try to be independent and not seek assistance which often leads academic trouble because they needed accommodations, the most common of which is needing more time to complete assignments… >>>

I found this module very helpful as it clarified differences in symptoms experienced by individuals with PTSD vs TBI. Since I work with students with both of these diagnoses, I identified with some of the information covered including that depression is the most common psychiatric diagnosis after brain injury, with the rate of close to 50%. That brain injury can affect the ability to initiate or start an activity, so the person needs cues, prompts, and structure to get started. Further, cognitive fatigue is a hallmark of brain injury and Building rest periods into a daily routine helps to prevent cognitive… >>>

I have learned the (slow) process of how PTSD was identified first on the battlefield. It is alarming that soldiers (men) were expected to just keep going and to accept the horrors they witnessed and experienced as merely being part of their duty. I find it baffling that those who tried to discover what was impacting soldiers assumed it was something physical due to weaponry. Further, it was expected that it was something that would go away within a short period of time. It makes me wonder whether those studying the "gross stress reaction" had ever experienced war themselves. 

The… >>>

I found myself surprised that the percentage of males and females suffering from PTSD symptoms were so close. I thought in the past that the numbers for females were higher, but maybe more males are seeking help.