Classroom Performance of Students with an Acquired Brain Injury: The Impact of Aide Programs

ii A number of studies have examined the behavioural and academic difficulties that follow paediatric Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and made recommendations that students with an ABI be provided with an aide program. However, there is a lack of studies that have been carried out to examine the outcomes of the implementation of aide programs in the paediatric ABI population. The current study investigated the impact of aide programs on eight students (aged nine to fifteen years) with an ABI. In addition, the current study also investigated factors that were found to promote positive outcomes of aide programs. Measures used included: direct observation; interviews with the students, parents, teachers and aides; and neuropsychological tests including the BRIEF, CAFT, TEA-Ch, and WISC-IV Digit Span subtest. The data were analysed descriptively using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Results demonstrated that the provision of an aide program resulted in a decrease in negative behaviours in the classroom and an increase in students ‟ access to th