Traumatic Brain Injury.
This chapter covers what a Texas peace officer must know about traumatic Brain Injury, along with the statute limits that shape each element, at the level of detail the TCOLE tests.
Chapter 30 study guide.
This chapter is about recognizing that the person in front of you may be living with a brain injury. The changes a brain injury causes can look like intoxication, defiance or indifference. An officer who stops to consider the possibility will communicate better, stay safer and get the person to the right help.
Study it in four blocks. First the definitions: acquired, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury. Then the causes, the populations at risk and the severity table. Then the three categories of change. Finally the four things an officer can do: prevention, intervention, communication and resource facilitation.
Jump to an objective29
What counts as a brain injury
There are many types of brain injury, and people use many different terms for them. You will hear traumatic brain injury or TBI, knocked out, neurological damage, abusive head trauma, stroke, brain damage, shaken baby syndrome, head injury and concussion.
All of these can fit under one broad term: acquired brain injury. When a person or a family member uses any of these words, treat it as a sign that the person may be a brain injury survivor.
On the exam Know the umbrella term. Stroke and concussion are both on the list, and both are acquired brain injuries.
The many kinds of brain injury can all fit under the broad term .
The abbreviation TBI stands for .
Acquired brain injury (ABI)
An acquired brain injury has three features. It occurs after birth. It is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. And it can cause temporary or permanent impairments that result in physical, emotional and intellectual difficulties.
In other words, the person was not born with it and it is not a disease that slowly wears the brain down. Something happened to the brain during the person’s life.
An acquired brain injury is one that occurs after .
An acquired brain injury is not related to a congenital or a disease.
The impairments from an acquired brain injury can be temporary or .
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
A traumatic brain injury is a type of acquired brain injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain and is caused by a blow to the head or a penetrating head injury.
The injury may be closed or open. In a closed-head injury the skull stays intact. In an open-head injury an object penetrates the skull and enters the brain.
- Closed-head injury
- The skull stays intact.
- Open-head injury
- An object penetrates the skull and enters the brain.
On the exam Closed and open describe the skull, not how serious the injury is.
A TBI is caused by a blow to the head or a head injury.
When the skull stays intact, the injury is a injury.
When an object penetrates the skull and enters the brain, the injury is an injury.
Questions on what you just read.
- Question 1 · LO 30.2
Which of these describes an acquired brain injury?
- Question 2 · LO 30.3
A man is struck in the head with a bat during an assault. At the hospital, staff find his skull is intact but his brain function is disrupted. This injury is best described as:
- Question 3 · LO 30.1
A woman tells you her husband “had a stroke last year and hasn’t been the same.” Under this chapter’s definitions, a stroke is:
The rest of Chapter 30.
- LO 30.4Non-traumatic brain injury2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.5Traumatic and non-traumatic compared2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.6How common brain injury is2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.7Causes of traumatic brain injury2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.8Leading causes as a pie chart1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.9Causes of non-traumatic brain injury2 key terms · 2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.10Populations at higher risk3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.11The reality of brain injury1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.12Historical and public figures with brain injuries2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.13Severity: mild, moderate and severe3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.14Why a “mild” brain injury still matters1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.15What the brain does2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.16The three categories of change2 key terms · 3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.17Recovery is different for everyone2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.18Calls where you will meet brain injury2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.19Preventing brain injury in children2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.20Preventing brain injury in older adults2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.21Reducing brain injury in vehicle crashes2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.22Helmets1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.23Signs and symptoms, and FAST for stroke4 key terms · 4 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.24Case studies2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.25Communication techniques3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.26Why appropriate communication matters2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.27Unmet needs2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.28Resources to refer people to2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 30.29The officer’s impact2 fill-in-the-blank
A subscription opens the other 26 objectives in this chapter, with 54 more fill-in-the-blank items and 7 more practice questions, along with the study guide for every other BPOC chapter.
Unlock the full guideLast checked against the Texas statutes in September 2026. This guide is a study aid for the TCOLE licensing exam. It is not legal advice, and your academy’s instruction and your department’s policy come first.
What recruits ask about this chapter.
What should a Texas peace officer understand about definition of brain injury?
Discuss the definition of brain injury. Includes: traumatic Brain Injury/TBI; knocked Out; neurological Damage; abusive Head Trauma; stroke; brain Damage; shaken Baby Syndrome; head Injury.
How does the TCOLE curriculum describe acquired Brain Injury (ABI)?
Describe an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Includes: occurs after birth; is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease; can cause temporary or permanent impairments that result in physical, emotional, and intellectual difficulties.
How does the TCOLE curriculum describe traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
Describe a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Includes: a blow to the head; a penetrating head injury The injury may be a closed- or an open-head injury. A closed-head injury is when the skull stays intact, while an open-head injury is when an object penetrates the skull and enters the brain.
How does the TCOLE curriculum describe non-Traumatic Brain Injury?
Describe a Non-Traumatic Brain Injury. Includes: a type of acquired brain injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain and is caused by an internal event, rather than an external force; non-traumatic brain injuries are just as serious and life altering as TBIs.
Related study guides in Special Populations.
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