Cumberland Hospital - Brain Injury Education

Cumberland Academy, an on-site school, is an extension of treatment. Each patient’s academic program, like his or her treatment plan, is individualized and is used as a way to work on functional skills, such as focusing and sequencing. Special education teachers use positive reinforcement and other behavioral management techniques in the classroom.

Cumberland encourages success through individualized attention and small class size with children working on similar subjects. Traditional textbook teaching is augmented with hands-on experiences, community outings and activities. Patients with similar cognitive functioning are taught together, so patients who have brain injuries are integrated with patients who are in our chronic illness program. This approach exposes patients to young people who are different from themselves and expands their ability to deal with situations. As patients progress, they may move from a self-contained special education class to a more typical small classroom in preparation for the transition home. Prior to discharge, Cumberland’s teachers convey the treatment teams’ observations to teachers in the patient’s community to help make the transition home more successful.