Videos

The 3rd webinar in the concussion series will provide an overview of a) the IDEA, Section 504, and state laws in relation to K-12 students with concussions, b) legal developments to date, including hearing officer and court decisions, specific to the eligibility and entitlement issues for these students; and (c) recommendations for legal defensibility of local policies and practices.

In this presentation we will first briefly review the symptomatic presentation of youth with prolonged recovery and identify the demographic, injury-related, and symptomatic risk factors for prolonged recovery. The correlates and sequelae of prolonged recovery will also be reviewed, such as depression, anxiety, attentional and concentration difficulties, sleep problems, headache, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Next, we will describe a current best practice for management of prolonged recovery, deciding which set of symptoms and impairments to target first, and psychosocial and pharmacological approaches to management of prolonged recovery. Finally, we will suggest approaches to parent education, school and athletic management, and screening for behavioral health issues that may prevent development of prolonged recovery and will lead to earlier identification of youth at risk for prolonged recovery.

This lecture will provide educators, therapists and counselors with the tools to better understand the role of the vestibular system when working with students who have sustained concussion. Following concussion, students may experience dizziness, have difficulty focusing their eyes, or have difficulty maintaining balance; all which can have negative impacts in the school setting. This webinar will explain the importance of what the vestibular system is, how it can be impacted following a concussion, and accommodations to employ for students in the school setting.

Concussion is widespread and prevailing injury in children and adolescents. The CDC estimates upwards of 4 million concussions occur each year. With estimates stating at least ¼ of students with concussion experience visual dysfunction; teachers, counselors, and educational administrators play an important role when making academic accommodations to ensure a proper road to recovery for the concussed student. Physical and occupational therapists have the potential to be gatekeepers in detection of visual dysfunction, as well as co-management of student therapy. Therapists treating vestibular deficits in persons following concussion must be familiar with screening, gross evaluation, and treatment techniques for common ocular motor and vestibular related pathology. This lecture will provide educators, therapists and counselors alike with the tools to better understand the role of the visual system when encountering students have persistent post-concussion syndrome.

The 2nd webinar in the BrainSTEPS: Return to Learn Fall 2014 Webinar Series: K-12 Students with Concussion Webinar Series focuses on managing concussions within the classroom setting. Returning to the full demands of school too soon following concussion can significantly increase and prolong symptoms. This period of recovery should be appropriately planned for and supported by school personnel until the concussion has resolved. Most concussions resolve within the first 3-4 weeks, but 80-90% can linger several months or more. If the student does not recover within 4 weeks, a referral to the local IU based BrainSTEPS team should occur. Teachers should be equipped with a solid understanding of what concussions are, how symptoms manifest in the classroom, and what accommodations should be implemented immediately to promote student recovery. Current Return to Learn/School Progression Steps will be discussed. Stressed throughout will be the importance of having concussed students return to the classroom setting as soon as possible, after several initial days of brain rest, as long as accommodations are in place. This webinar will also emphasize the importance of school districts joining the 670+ district based “Return to Learn Concussion Management Teams (CMTs)” currently in PA who have been trained by the BrainSTEPS Program (www.brainsteps.net). CMTs play a key role in the ongoing monitoring of symptoms and academics until recovery, as well immediate implementation of symptom based accommodations to lessen high levels of cognitive over exertion that can prolong student recovery.

This webinar will review evidence-based practices and guidelines for establishing professional learning communities in order to sustain a tiered system of support.