Navigating Medical Speech-Language Pathology Reports for Children With TBI

Abstract Many children with TBI return to school without the benefit of a formal transition team, so it falls to the school-based SLP to identify an appropriate plan when the student returns to school. Optimally, the school-based SLP can communicate with the hospital-based SLP to discuss medical factors that will affect school performance, but administrative constraints often limit the ability of medical SLPs to communicate directly with school-based SLPs or attend school meetings. As a result of these constraints, school-based SLPs may have only the hospital SLP's report to guide them in identifying appropriate assessment and intervention plans for the child. Medical reports can be challenging to navigate, as each area of practice has its own jargon and the goals and methods used in medical settings differ substantially from those in schools. In this article, we deconstruct a typical medical SLP report and discuss ways to use information in the report to identify appropriate services for children with TBI who are returning to school.