Do you know a student who is needing support? Make a BrainSTEPS Referral

The BrainSTEPS Teams accept referrals from school districts, agencies, parents, physicians, early intervention service providers, or any other service providers.

Find your local BrainSTEPS Team here: www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/brainsteps The Brain Injury Consulting Program assists schools in supporting students with acquired brain injury in many different ways.

For general BrainSTEPS CO Program information contact:

Toni Grishman, BSN, RN BrainSTEPS Program Coordinator The BrainSTEPS CO Program is Email: [email protected] or jointly funded through the Heather Hotchkiss, MSW Colorado Department of BrainSTEPS Program Coordinator Education and MINDSOURCE Email: hotchkiss_h@cde. state.co.us

B rainSTEPS CO

The BrainSTEPS (Strategies Teaching The Role of BrainSTEPS: Some facts about Brain injury:

Educators, Parents, & Students) Brain Brain injury is a leading cause of death After a brain injury, students may return to Injury Consulting Program assists and disability in children and Colorado schools in creating educational school with temporary or lifelong impairments adolescents. that have a significant impact on performance. plans for students following acquired Physical recovery is not a sign that the brain injury who have moderate to severe BrainSTEPS teams can assists schools by serving as brain injury consultants to the school brain has healed. You can’t gauge levels of need. BrainSTEPS work with recovery from brain injury based on districts and teachers of students with brain students who have sustain a type of how a child looks on the outside. injury. acquired brain injury (ABI). Brain injury severity, labeled as “mild, • BrainSTEPS assist with the re-entry process for moderate, or severe” does not equate An acquired brain injuries occurs after students who have sustained a new brain injury with how the student will function birth and includes both traumatic brain or with students previously identified as having academically or socially/emotionally in injuries (TBI) and non-traumatic brain a brain injury who may develop different school. injuries (nTBI). educational impacts (or latent effects) over the years as their brains mature and develop. A jolting force to the body may be all the force that is necessary to cause a brain Traumatic Brain Injuries – • Team members are from a variety of disciplines injury. including concussion (mild TBI), (school psychologists, social workers, nurses, Children do not simply “bounce back” moderate and severe caused by an speech language pathologists, administrators, after brain injury. In fact, injury to the external physical force, e.g., etc.). developing brain can impact future sports/recreational activities, falls, • Teams are trained in the identification of brain learning. assault, motor vehicle accidents, injury and neuroeducational evaluation to Effects of brain injury are not always non-accidental abusive head identify specific needs of students. immediately apparent and may not trauma (“shaken baby syndrome”). become evident until the child passes Supports school districts in the following ways: through important developmental Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries – stages. Over time, difficulties may caused by an internal event, i.e.,  Identification of students with traumatic emerge as the demands are increased on stroke, brain tumor, aneurysm, and non-traumatic brain injuries parts of the brain originally injured. lack of oxygen to the brain (near  School re-entry planning drowning), lightning strikes,  Intervention selection and chemotherapy or radiation impacts implementation to the brain, seizure disorder, brain  Educational plan development infections (encephalitis,  Teacher training, peer training, family meningitis), toxic or metabolic training injury, and viruses.  Student monitoring through graduation  Family support and resource sharing