Blog Posts

This school year, Austin Independent School District has had the opportunity to work with the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) and become the first BESTeam in Texas (Brain Injury Education Support Team). This collaboration has provided us with the resources to improve our concussion return-to-play and return-to-learn protocols.

In today’s ever-changing digital age, there are so many tools that can help our kids succeed, and help us as parents stay organized. From apps on a tablet or phone, to simple printables we can place around the house or in a binder, the internet can be a lifeline. I’d love to share some of the tools that have worked for our family and how we use them to make daily life a little smoother.

The world of brain injury, and brain injury survivors, is one of tragedy, often followed by a finding of a personal reserve of energy and commitment to making their lives better, to coping with their new “normal,” and a desire to help others enduring the same plight. In my position, I hear these stories almost daily, and I’m always impressed by the resilience and selflessness of those brain injury survivors.

 

The start and end of anything can feel scary for a child with disabilities, especially one who thrives on structure and routine. And what’s the biggest constant in that cycle? School!  

As a parent of a child with special needs, there have been many times when we’ve felt alone. I often found myself escaping into social media, television, and series. Unplugging from “mom life” and plugging into popular media has helped me relax countless times. But when my son started watching television, I began noticing something important, the need for representation. I started intentionally looking for it more often.

Implementation is a wonderful word.  Sometimes the process of creating policy designed to help students recover from concussions and other brain injuries can be so burdensome that it is hard to visualize the implementation process until after the policy is formalized.  

Each child I meet is navigating a unique recovery. In the hospital setting, my job is not just about academics-it is about reassurance and restoring a sense of normalcy.

Children younger than 5 have higher rates of hospital stays in the United States for traumatic brain injury (TBI) than children of other ages, primarily due to falls. 

Through my research, I became empowered. One piece of advice stood out to me more than any other: “Don’t be afraid to speak up. You know your child best.”

I learned a long time ago that things run their course, things change, and as challenges are met and overcome, the conversation changes also.