Skip to main content

Accommodating Brain Injury Tip Sheet

An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, induced by birth trauma or traumatic brain injury caused by external physical forces to the head. Injuries result in a change in neuronal activity affecting physical integrity, the metabolic activity, or the functional ability of nerve cells in the brain.

Common Challenges

  • Mental Inflexibility
  • Emotions
  • Language
  • Attention
  • Memory
  • Sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Organization
  • Self-awareness
  • Processing
  • Impulsivity
  • Physical/Sensorimotor

ROWBOATS

Use the acronym "ROWBOATS" when presented with a challenge.

R Reduce amount of information
O One instruction at a time
W Written and verbal when possible
B Breaks are helpful
O Often is better, routines help
A Ask person for paraphrase/repeat
T Take time, go slowly
S Simple and organized info is best

Video