How ICCR Helps Students with TBI Return to College
By Lauren Hodges, August 27th, 2025
For college students and young adults living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the road back to campus can feel overwhelming. Memory lapses, trouble organizing thoughts, or difficulty keeping up with class discussions aren’t just frustrating, they can make the return to higher education seem impossible. This is where the Intensive Cognitive-Communication Recovery (ICCR) Program here at Boston University can support students in their transition. ICCR is a 12-week, remote therapy program designed specifically for individuals (ages 18-36) with TBIs who want to enter or return to college or graduate school. ICCR bridges the gap between clinical speech therapy and the functional demands of academic life to help students build back not just their communication, but their confidence and cognitive control.
From a speech language pathology perspective, returning to college isn’t just about talking again, it’s about thinking, planning, communicating, and performing in a fast-paced, high-demand environment. ICCR focuses on cognitive communication, blending two key domains:
Executive Function: This includes skills like organizing, prioritizing, managing time, self-monitoring, and shifting attention. Such skills are essential for navigating coursework and campus life.
Language: This includes the complex language demands of the academic world such as understanding and following multistep directions, understanding abstract concepts, expressing ideas coherently in writing, and participating meaningfully in class discussions.
Traumatic brain injuries are more common in college-age adults than many people realize. Brain injuries can disrupt a student’s academic trajectory just when they’re building independence. Yet, despite medical recovery, many students feel unprepared for the cognitive and communication demands of school. ICCR gives them a way forward.
Q&A
We asked one of our current participants to share his experience with the program:
Q: In what ways has ICCR helped you feel more prepared cognitively, emotionally, or socially to return to college?
A: “After having gone through half of this program, I can say I have become a lot more sociable with those around me and don’t fear what anyone is thinking. I am now more likely to go out with my friends and less likely to hide in my room all day. I think the reason for this is because of how open I’ve been at ICCR and in response I have seen how caring the graduate students are about me and my struggles.”
Q: Have you noticed any changes in your confidence, independence, or communication abilities since starting the program?
A: “Since starting ICCR, I have noticed a great change in my confidence. When I first started this class, I was always unsure and not confident in the answers that I would share with the class. However, now I am a lot more confident in the answers I give because of the fact that I am able to pay attention to the entirety of the lecture…Because of ICCR, I have come to a realization both in this program and in college that I don’t care if people judge me for being wrong. What matters is that I am trying my best no matter if I get it right or wrong.”
Q: Looking back at where you started, what’s one thing you’ve accomplished during ICCR that you’re most proud of?
A: “One thing that I have accomplished during ICCR that I am most proud of is my ability to pay attention to the entirety of a lecture. Prior to this course, I was unable to stay focused on one thing for an extended period of time…since I have joined this program, I can see my ability to keep up with what is going on in a conversation getting better every day. I attribute this boost in focus back to ICCR…An example of this in the real world is going out to eat dinner. Eating dinner in a noisy restaurant with a lot of distractions can be troubling at first and was initially a problem for me that I struggled with. One of the first days I was home from the hospital my parents took me out to dinner and to be quite frank, I have no idea what we talked about and did not follow the conversation one bit. However, just a few days ago we went out to eat at the same restaurant and I felt perfectly fine. I was able to follow the conversation perfectly and did not get tripped up. The reason for this growth is simply because ICCR has forced me to practice it.”
ICCR isn’t just therapy; it is an individualized and tailored support back to the academic world. With evidence-based methods, ICCR helps students rebuild the cognitive and communication skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
To learn more or see if ICCR is a good fit for you or someone you know, visit our Program Page.