CERTIFIED BRAIN INJURY SPECIALIST 504 2026
COMPLETE ANSWERS NEUROLOGICAL
ASSESSMENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
◉ 504 Plan
Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Answer: A written plan developed by a general
education school committee outlining
accommodations to be made by a K-12 or
post-secondary school that receives federal
funds for a student with a disabling condition
that substantially limits a major life activity.
◉ Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Answer: Also known as dementia pugilistica, refers to a condition,
diagnosed after death, relative to multiple concussions caused by
significant force. A progressive degenerative disease that is most
often sustained by athletes participating in contact sports, where it
is sometimes termed punch drunk. May also be observed in
domestic violence victims or abused children who have sustained
numerous blows to the head. It begins very slowly with
deterioration in concentration, attention, memory, judgment, and
,insight, occasionally accompanied by dizziness and headaches.
Severe symptoms of eventually show symptoms of Parkinsonism,
including disturbed coordination, slowed gait, slurred speech,
masked facies, difficulty swallowing and tremors.
◉ Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
Answer: An injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital,
degenerative, or induced by birth trauma
◉ Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Answer: an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain
pathology, caused by an external force
◉ closed injuries.
Answer: Can cause brain lacerations and contusions, or
intracerebral hemorrhage within the brain causing focal injuries. i.e.
coup-countercoup, and/or diffuse injury resulting from tearing or
shearing of axons i.e. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
◉ Open injuries.
Answer: Breach of the skull or a breach of the meninges. These
injuries often result in focal injuries (such as epidural or SDH, or
ICH) or penetrating injury i.e. gunshot wound
,◉ Mild TBI (mTBI).
Answer: Can have either brief or no loss of consciousness and its
presentation may demonstrate vomiting, lethargy, dizziness, and
inability to recall what just happened.
◉ Moderate TBI.
Answer: Will be marked by unconsciousness for any period of time
up to 24hours, will have neurological signs of brain trauma,
including skull fractures with contusion or bleeding, and may have
focal findings on an electroencephalograph (EEG)/computed
tomography (CT) scan.
Normal or abnormal structural imaging; LOC >30min and <24 hr;
AOC >24 hr severity based on other criteria; PTA >1 and <7 days;
GCS = 9-12
◉ Severe TBI.
Answer: Marked by a period of loss of consciousness of 24 hours or
greater.
Normal or abnormal structural imaging; LOC >24 hr; PTA >7 days;
GCS = 3-8
◉ Incidence.
, Answer: occurrence; i.e. a certain number of brain injuries within a
given year.
◉ Prevalence of Injury.
Answer: The number of people with a given condition (i.e. ABI) at a
specific point in time
◉ Mild Brain Injury (mBI).
Answer: Injury to the brain, with Glasgow Coma Scores (GCS)
between 13-15; Normal Structural Imaging; LOC = 0-30 minutes;
AOC = from a moment up to 24hr; PTA = 0-1 day
◉ Akinesia.
Answer: slowness or loss of movement
◉ epidural hematoma (EDH).
Answer: Hematoma on the surface of the meninges but inside the
skull, displacing the brain
◉ Subdural Hematoma.
Answer: Bleeding between the dura mater and the arachnoid layers
of the meninges.
COMPLETE ANSWERS NEUROLOGICAL
ASSESSMENT PRACTICE RESOURCE
◉ 504 Plan
Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Answer: A written plan developed by a general
education school committee outlining
accommodations to be made by a K-12 or
post-secondary school that receives federal
funds for a student with a disabling condition
that substantially limits a major life activity.
◉ Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Answer: Also known as dementia pugilistica, refers to a condition,
diagnosed after death, relative to multiple concussions caused by
significant force. A progressive degenerative disease that is most
often sustained by athletes participating in contact sports, where it
is sometimes termed punch drunk. May also be observed in
domestic violence victims or abused children who have sustained
numerous blows to the head. It begins very slowly with
deterioration in concentration, attention, memory, judgment, and
,insight, occasionally accompanied by dizziness and headaches.
Severe symptoms of eventually show symptoms of Parkinsonism,
including disturbed coordination, slowed gait, slurred speech,
masked facies, difficulty swallowing and tremors.
◉ Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).
Answer: An injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital,
degenerative, or induced by birth trauma
◉ Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Answer: an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain
pathology, caused by an external force
◉ closed injuries.
Answer: Can cause brain lacerations and contusions, or
intracerebral hemorrhage within the brain causing focal injuries. i.e.
coup-countercoup, and/or diffuse injury resulting from tearing or
shearing of axons i.e. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
◉ Open injuries.
Answer: Breach of the skull or a breach of the meninges. These
injuries often result in focal injuries (such as epidural or SDH, or
ICH) or penetrating injury i.e. gunshot wound
,◉ Mild TBI (mTBI).
Answer: Can have either brief or no loss of consciousness and its
presentation may demonstrate vomiting, lethargy, dizziness, and
inability to recall what just happened.
◉ Moderate TBI.
Answer: Will be marked by unconsciousness for any period of time
up to 24hours, will have neurological signs of brain trauma,
including skull fractures with contusion or bleeding, and may have
focal findings on an electroencephalograph (EEG)/computed
tomography (CT) scan.
Normal or abnormal structural imaging; LOC >30min and <24 hr;
AOC >24 hr severity based on other criteria; PTA >1 and <7 days;
GCS = 9-12
◉ Severe TBI.
Answer: Marked by a period of loss of consciousness of 24 hours or
greater.
Normal or abnormal structural imaging; LOC >24 hr; PTA >7 days;
GCS = 3-8
◉ Incidence.
, Answer: occurrence; i.e. a certain number of brain injuries within a
given year.
◉ Prevalence of Injury.
Answer: The number of people with a given condition (i.e. ABI) at a
specific point in time
◉ Mild Brain Injury (mBI).
Answer: Injury to the brain, with Glasgow Coma Scores (GCS)
between 13-15; Normal Structural Imaging; LOC = 0-30 minutes;
AOC = from a moment up to 24hr; PTA = 0-1 day
◉ Akinesia.
Answer: slowness or loss of movement
◉ epidural hematoma (EDH).
Answer: Hematoma on the surface of the meninges but inside the
skull, displacing the brain
◉ Subdural Hematoma.
Answer: Bleeding between the dura mater and the arachnoid layers
of the meninges.
