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.
Austin ISD has always had a rigorous concussion protocol, and with the resources we have had access to, we have been able to implement even more. We were able to start working with SWAY (Concussion Management Platform) to improve our baseline testing protocols, and access better tools to support concussion management. We now have an improved, detailed return-to-learn protocol. AISD BESTeams have consulted medical experts on concussions to refine our protocols and ensure alignment with best practices.
With the support of CBIRT, we can help educate our communities and the medical community in Austin to better understand best practices and implement these practices across the Austin community. We strive for excellence in Austin ISD in all we do as Athletic Trainers, and providing the best care we can is very important. In a school district like ours, it is also important to have a variety of resources available for our families. Our school district is diverse in all aspects, and we need as much support as possible. Being able to demonstrate our positive impact on the community instills confidence in us, in our department, and in the athletes in Austin ISD.
