Children & Adolescents

6 Tips for Pedestrian Safety

Another school year is here, which means more people are walking in your community. It is everyone’s responsibility to know the laws pertaining to pedestrian safety.

Drivers:

Always yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.
Be careful at intersections when making right turns on red; 90 percent of pedestrians die if hit by a car traveling 40 mph, compared to 5 percent at 20 mph.
Use caution when driving where people gather.

Pedestrians:

Be sure to cross the street at crosswalks.
If there are no pedestrian signals, cross with the green light.
When crossing with pedestrian signals, start crossing with the WALK light after looking both ways — the driver may also have a green light.

Source: August 2013 Gwinnett County Connection

Book List

Brain Injury Survival Kit: 365 Tips, Tools and Tricks to Deal with Cognitive Function Loss
By Cheryle Sullivan

This book is a great road map for people with brain injury and for families of people with brain injury. What this book does not do: It does not delve on the reasons how or why there is brain damage, or to the degree or extent of brain damage. It does not compare severe vs. mild brain damage. It does tell of all kinds of symptoms, many more than I personally have. Dr. Sullivan showed ways to get around them or ways to deal with them. But most importantly she showed me that one can learn to accept and live with brain damage. My life changed and I had no direction from the medical field. The doctors fixed the physical, but then left me adrift. I read several books once my reading comprehension returned and not one of the books offered any solutions to fix or help. Dr. Sullivan’s book is a no nonsense book with honest to goodness answers for ways to deal with every day issues, not only to help the person with a brain injury, but will also help the family of the brain-injured understand what is happening and how to help. She also offers resources for all kinds of additional help that is available. This book is easy to read and will be used time & time again.

Purchase from Amazon.com

Children With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Parent’s Guide (The Special Needs Collection)
By Lisa Schoenbrodt

As a parent of a son with TBI, I have battled schools to find a teacher, administrator, specialist . . . anyone who understands the confusion and disorganization in my son’s brain. This book, among other things, clearly states the stages of brain rehabilitation, lists possible symptoms, explains in layman’s terms how things can appear one way one day, and differently the next. I can speak intelligently to untrained educators using quotes from this book to explain aberrant and unexpected behavior as exhibited by my son. And believe me, the teachers are UNTRAINED in TBI. Ask me, I am a teacher! Everything I have learned about TBI, I taught myself after my son fell and damaged his brain — and this book is the best place to start that I can recommend.

Purchase from Amazon.com

Reconstructing David
By Deanna Scott

An intimate story of a mother’s dedication and devotion to her teenage son’s recovery after a brutal motorcycle accident, and the things she learned through David’s eight weeks in a coma from traumatic brain injury. The book provides an insight into roles that instinct and love play in the care and recovery process. You will be enraged, you will laugh, you will cry, and to top it all you will finish the book wanting to know more and looking forward to Book 2.

To order:

Email:

dss993@comcast.net

Write:

Reconstructing David
1459 Eastwood Avenue
Highland Park, IL 60035

Unthinkable: A Mother’s Tragedy, Terror, and Triumph Through A Child’s Traumatic Brain Injury
By Dixie Coskie

Following her own child’s harrowing traumatic brain injury, Dixie Fremont-Smith Coskie wrote a highly acclaimed book which emotionally and passionately documented her nightmarish journey as mother and caregiver. Each chapter concludes with tips for coping and participating throughout the process.

Purchase from Amazon.com.

Unthinkable: Tips for Surviving a Child’s traumatic Brain Injury
By Dixie Coskie

This book is the companion guide to Coskie’s book listed above. Provides powerful tips and tools to help any parent faced with a child that has a traumatic brain injury.

Purchase from Amazon.com

Why Scotty?
By Wynell Hunt with Terry Lee

Written by Scotty’s mother, this touching story describes the ordeal of Scotty’s devastating car wreck, the hospital stay, rehabilitation, and his triumphant road back to recovery.

To order:

Write:

C.O.P.I.N. Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 1962
Cumming, GA 30028

Caregiver Stories

Monique & Jacques Hauss

Their son Bert was hit by a car in 1997 and suffered a traumatic brain injury. After about a year in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, he continued in college and finished his BS and MS. Read their thoughts and insights about brain injury.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability. Recent estimates conclude that nearly 764,000 people in the U.S. have CP. Your family does not have to face cerebral palsy alone. Get connected with emotional, medical, and financial help. Visit Cerebral Palsy Guide for answers and guidance to ensure that you and your family receive the assistance that you need to help improve your child’s quality of life.

Concerned about Concussion in Youth Sports?

There is some debate as to whether or not the risks outweigh the reward of sports involvement as a child or teenager, as there are countless ways a young person could injure themselves while playing sports. However, if the child, parents, coaches, and trainers are conscious of preventing sports injuries (rather than pushing them aside), being involved in sports as a young person will result in valuable life skills such as work ethic, time management, and mental and physical strength.

The guide to Preventing Sports Injuries in Child and Teen Athletes covers the benefits of youth sports, youth sports injury statistics, general sports injury prevention methods and sport specific injury rates and prevention.

A New FREE CDC Online Training Helps Prepare Coaches and Parents in Less than 30 Minutes

Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports is a free online training available to coaches, parents, and others helping to keep athletes safe from concussion. The training was developed by CDC’s Injury Center in partnership and other leading organizations. It features interviews with leading experts and interactive exercises to help coaches and parents recognize a concussion and know how to respond if their athlete might have a concussion.

Coaches and Parents Will Learn:

To understand a concussion and the potential consequences of this injury,
To recognize concussion signs and symptoms and how to respond,
About steps for returning to activity (play and school) after a concussion, and
To focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season.

Remember, if you think an athlete has a concussion:

Do not assess it yourself,
Take him/her out of play, and
Seek the advice of a health care professional.

When in doubt, sit them out!

Concussion ABCs

Concussions Can Affect Kids in the Classroom

That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) have teamed up to create a new poster called Know Your Concussion ABCs that highlights the critical role school nurses and other school professionals play in addressing concussions in school.

The new poster is part of CDC’s Heads Up to Schools materials and is designed to be placed in an array of school settings for grades K-12. The poster helps raise awareness of concussion and offers key steps that school professionals can take to support students.

CDC’s other Heads Up to Schools materials include fact sheets, a checklist, and a magnet, to help school nurses and school professionals identify and respond to concussions.

To order the new poster and other Heads Up to Schools materials for FREE, visit: cdc.gov/headsup/schools.

When it comes to concussions, remember your ABCs:

A — Assess the situation

B — Be alert for signs and symptoms

C — Contact a health care professional

For Parents of Teen Drivers — I Pledge — A New Video

CDC is pleased to release a new 60-second video as part of the Parents Are the Key campaign for safe teen driving.

The new I Pledge video shows a number of moms and dads pledging to protect their teen drivers—the same way they pledged to keep them safe since the day they were born.

“We encourage parents to watch this short video, and then make their own pledge to protect their teen driver,” said Grant Baldwin, MPH, PhD, Director of CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. “Parents can make a positive difference when it comes to preventing the number one killer of teens in the United States — car crashes.”

Watch the new video and share it with others to help spread the word.

More CDC resources on Safe Teen Driving

Get a Heads-Up on Diagnosing and Managing Concussions

With support from the National Football League and CDC Foundation, the CDC has created a new Free online training to provide health care professionals with an overview of what they need to know about concussion among young athletes. The goal of this course, Heads Up to Clinicians: Addressing Concussion in Sports among Kids and Teens, is to prepare health care professionals to diagnose and manage concussions on the sidelines, in their office, training room, or in the emergency department.

In this course health care professionals will:

Examine current research on what may be happening to the brain after a concussion
Understand why young people are at increased risk
Explore acute concussion assessment and individualized management of young athletes to help prepare for diagnosing and managing concussions
Learn about the 5-Step Return to Play progression and helping athletes safely return to school and play
Focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season
Receive continuing education credits through the American College of Sports Medicine

To view the course or for more information, visit: www.cdc.gov/headsup.

How Brain Cysts Can Affect Behavior

By Dr. Daniel Amen

In 1995 my 9-year-old nephew Andrew was exhibiting violent behavior. When we scanned him we found a large cyst occupying his left temporal lobe. At the time it was difficult to get other physicians to take it seriously and connect his aggressive outburst to the cyst. Fortunately, we found Jorge Lazareff, MD at UCLA who agreed to remove the cyst. Almost immediately Andrew went back to being the sweet kid he always wanted to be. Sixteen years later Andrew is a wonderful young man and living a successful and happier life.

I encourage you to watch this short video in which I discuss this topic:

Kids and Football

“Let’s Take Brain Injuries Out of Play” — a poster created jointly by the NFL and the CDC to educate young athletes about concussions.

CDC Concussion - A Must-Read for Young Athletes

Returning to School After a Concussion: A Fact Sheet for School Professionals

A new CDC fact sheet, Returning to School After a Concussion: A Fact Sheet for School Professionals (PDF), provides steps that school professionals can take to help facilitate a student’s return to school and recovery after a concussion. It emphasizes the importance of a collaborative approach by a team that includes not only school professionals, but also the student’s family and the health care professional(s) managing the medical aspects of the student’s recovery.

Why is this Important?

Each year hundreds of thousands of K-12 students sustain a concussion as a result of a fall, motor-vehicle crash, collision on the playground or sports field, or other activity. Most will recover quickly and fully. However, school professionals will often be challenged with helping return a student to school who may still be experiencing concussion symptoms — symptoms that can result in learning problems and poor academic performance. Knowledge of a concussion’s potential effects on a student, and appropriate management of the return-to-school process, is critical for helping students recover from a concussion.

External Expert Reviewers/Contributors for “Returning to School After a Concussion: A Fact Sheet for School Professionals”: Susan Davies, MD; Gerry Gioia, PhD; Wayne Gordon, PhD; Mark Halstead, MD; Karen McAvoy, PsyD; and Eric Rossen PsyD.

Ride Your Bike Safely

Riding a bike is a physical activity that has many favorable benefits, two of them being that it is enjoyable and also great exercise. In order to get the maximum benefit of enjoyment and exercise that bike riding provides, it is also fundamental to be safe while doing so. The MotoSport.com website contains many safety tips and riding guidelines to ensure fun while riding your bike, including proper equipment, rules about dealing with motorists, rules of the road, riding at night, special rules for children, special rules for disabled people, what to do if you get stranded, and cycling organizations that promote safety. This is an invaluable biking resource!

Go to HelpKeepKidsSafe.org and Google bicycle safety for lots of information about bicycle safety, a free bicycle safety booklet to use with your children, and much more.

Shepherd Center 2006 Info Sheet: Adolescent Information

Website Resources

Ask Jeeves
www.askjeeves.com

Chemistry Topics
www.chem4kids.com

Creative Writing for Teens
www.writingclasses.com/classes/description/unbound-teen-creative-writing

EDSITEment
edsitement.neh.gov

GA Department of Education
www.gadoe.org

GA Standards
www.georgiastandards.org

Glencoe
www.glencoe.com

Grammar Lady
www.grammar-teacher.com/grammarlady

High School Ace
www.highschoolace.com

History Channel Classroom
www.historychannel.com/classroom

Holt, Rinehart and Winston
go.hrw.com

LD Online
www.ldonline.org

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
www.mcrel.org

Pearson Prentice Hall
www.phschool.com

Peterson’s Planner
www.petersons.com

Strange and Unusual Dictionaries
www.washington.edu/doit/strange-and-unusual-dictionaries-0

Superkids
www.superkids.com

Teachnology
www.teach-nology.com/worksheets

The Learning Toolbox
coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/match.html
Click on their link for the home page, too. It gives some good pointers for a parent.

Yahoo! Games
yahoogames.tumblr.com

Games and Other Activities

UNO, Connect Four, Scrabble, Word Searches, Crossword Puzzles, Who’s Who, Cranium, Scattergories, Taboo, Outburst, Memory, Monopoly, Cadoo, Trivial Pursuit, Life, Clue, Balderdash
Card games — spades, tonk, hearts, solitaire, etc.
Cutting up the Sunday or weekday comics and putting them back in the correct order.
Model Kits
Age-appropriate magazines (reading and summarizing, navigating, recall, naming, creative writing — coming up with advertisement, interview questions, etc.)
Watching a TV show and summarizing
Pros/cons paper, debate
Creative writing
Possible School Recommendations/Home Care Instructions

When you need to concentrate on homework, set a timer. Set “time limits” to pay attention and give yourself breaks about every 30-45 minutes to regroup your thoughts.

Keep your homework area at school and at home free of unnecessary distractions. No stacks of papers everywhere. Try to keep the cell phone away when you need to concentrate on work.

Teachers may need to give you written information to go along with their lectures. Have them or YOU write down all of your assignments and their due dates.

Break long assignments up into pieces and set your own time table on when you will have things done.

Academic Accommodations

Use of daily schedule/planner to keep a written record of assignments and accomplishments for aid in memory/recall, planning, and organization.
Provide written information in conjunction with oral lecture.
Allow additional time for testing and assignments.
Divide longer assignment into smaller sections and provide due dates or times for the completion of each section.
Physically, when you return to school, you will probably need to leave your classes about 5 to 10 minutes before everyone else so you can walk to your next class SAFELY and without such a crowd in the halls.
May need additional assistance or student support in higher-level math classes.
May need to use a computer in classes for note-taking and class organization.
Find a classroom buddy you can compare notes with.
I really encourage you to use a tape recorder. You get easily distracted and sometimes, you “mix up” words or letters on paper when you are reading. It would be helpful to hear the information a couple of times (with the help of a tape recorder).

If you continue to mix up letters and words, and if your vision doesn’t continue to get better . . . you may want to talk to your teachers about giving you oral tests instead of written. Or at least give you extra time and make a quiet room available when you are taking tests.

Environmental Modifications

Increased time to get between classes.
Place in a low distraction environment when testing (not near hallways or windows).
Sit near the instructor in all classes
May need assistance with routing between classes.

Signs of TBI in Children

Source: Law Offices of Pius Joseph

Stay Focused: Don’t Text & Drive

There is no such thing as safe texting and driving. Texting while driving is dangerous and is one of the leading causes of traffic injuries and deaths across North America, especially with younger drivers.

Mobile phones are essential to everyday life — many of us like to keep ours within reach at all times. But we can’t allow them to be a distraction behind the wheel. As part of Verizon’s commitment to safer communities, they continue to take the lead in educating the public and supporting legislation and new technological solutions for driving responsibly.

Read more about the dangers of texting and driving on the Verizon Wireless website.

A must-see: Molly Welch, both a survivor and a Brain Injury Peer Visitor, was part of a very compelling Public Service Announcement and request for NOT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING in which she shares her own story of injury and recovery:

Strokes Happen to Kids, Too

It is estimated that in the U.S., stroke affects about six in 100,000 children — a reminder that stroke can happen at any age. Pediatric strokes are more difficult to diagnose. Unless a child is born sick and has seizures or apnea, stroke symptoms do not become evident until the child is at least a few months older.

Watch 9-year-old Elijah’s Faces of Stroke video about having a stroke before he was born, and deciding to educate the world about pediatric stroke when he was just 5 years old.

Children’s Survivor Stories

Sarah Deberry

Sarah Deberry was just eight years old when she dashed across the street for ice cream and was hit by a car. Paralyzed and in a coma for eight days, no one thought she’d make it, let alone be able to do anything with her life.

In her book, My Second Chance at Life, Sarah recounts the childhood accident that resulted in near-death injuries and how she fought to overcome every roadblock to living a full and rewarding life despite her TBI. She shares how she coped with guilt, anger, bullying, and frustration along the way. But her most overpowering message is one of hope and tenacity.

In addition to being a celebrated author, Sarah earned her college degree and Certificate of Medical Administration, all while holding down seven jobs.

Read her uplifting story.

Sarah Jackson Hayes

At age 15, Sarah Jackson climbed into a car with an underage drinking driver. She didn’t know at the time that choices can impact dreams. The driver lost control ad Sarah sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. She was in a coma for 3 1/2 weeks and underwent four months of rehabilitation. Sarah is now a leader in the nation’s efforts to promote traffic safety and always “buckle up.”

Read more about Sarah at www.sarahjspeaks.com.

Clark Jacobs

Clark was a student at Georgia Tech and living in the dorms. In early January 2015, Clark fell from his seven-foot loft bed, changing his life forever. The massive skull fracture and subsequent brain bleed were life threatening. He then suffered a STROKE.

Read about how Clark survived, relearned all his basic and regular life skills in months of therapy, and returned to college in 2016.

Michael L.

On August 16th, 2009, Michael got a headache which he ignored at first. Throughout the next couple of days things went from bad to worse, and he found out at Emory Hospital he had a cavernous malformation in his basal ganglia. He never knew anything about it until it suddenly ruptured and resulted in a very slow version of a stroke. He has had an incredible recovery and is back at Kennesaw State University where he is a Junior majoring in Mathematics. His brain injury gave him a deep appreciation for life, and he would not have recovered as well as he did if he had not been optimistic. Michael’s advice? Just keep a positive attitude always. His favorite quote is “Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be.” — Eleanor Roosevelt.

Read Michael’s full story here.

He now Peer Visits at Children’s Scottish Rite.

Kevin Pearce

Kevin was a champion snowboarder who was about to enter the Winter Olympics. He was training when his snowboard caught on the ice and his head was slammed into it when he fell (he was wearing a helmet that saved his life) — but he says his life is 360 degrees different now than before. He calls his TBI his Invisible Disability. Check out his YouTube video in which he points out aftereffects many TBI Survivors share.

Also watch this very well done Australian HD story about Kevin.

Will Penn

Until July 6, 2011, Will Penn was just like any other 8-year-old boy. What he didn’t know — no one knew — was that he was born with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). On July 6, the AVM ignited a massive brain hemorrhage and stroke in Will’s body.

Read Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com’s story about Will and his family and how Cory Weissman was an inspiration.

Matthew Ponder

At age 16, Matthew, a new driver, lost control of his car and crashed into a tree. He was in a coma for two weeks due to bilateral frontal lobe bruising and ruptured blood vessels in his brain.

Read Matthew’s story on the Brain & Life website about his recovery and his service to others as a Peer Visitor with our organization, the Brain Injury Peer Visitor Association. He is now in his freshman year at college!

Leanne Shaw

Leanne Shaw and her mother, Linda, are both Brain Injury Peer Visitors at Children’s Healthcare Atlanta (CHOA) at Scottish Rite for the Brain Injury Peer Visitor Association. Leanne says that she owes her recovery to the great care she received ad CHOA.

Read her story and see her Before and After photos!

Molly Welch

Molly, a student a Auburn, was driving along a highway in Alabama in early February 2008 when she collided with an oncoming truck. She sustained a severe brain injury and remained in ICU for three weeks. She was then transferred to Shepherd Center, where she underwent multiple rigorous therapies, and she emerged a victorious young lady with great potential. Molly and her mom, Mary, are now Peer Visitors at Shepherd Center.

Read an article (PDF) that appeared in the fall 2008 edition of the Spinal Column chronicling a week in Molly’s life at Shepherd. Molly was part of a very compelling Public Service Announcement (above) and request for NOT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING in which she shares her own story of injury and recovery.

TBIs, including Concussions, Among Youth Athletes: New CDC Report

During the last decade, emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related TBIs, including concussions, increased by 60 percent among children and adolescents (from birth to 19 years). Bicycling, football, playground activities, basketball, and soccer are the most common activities involved. One reason for the increase may be a result of the growing awareness among parents and coaches, and the public as a whole, about the need for individuals with a suspected TBI to be seen by a health care professional.

CDC’s newly released report, Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Related to Sports and Recreation Activities Among Persons Aged <=19 Years — United States, 2001–2009, published in the October 7th issue of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, shows that the number of sports- and recreation-related TBI emergency department visits varied by age group and gender:

71.0 percent of all visits were among males
70.5 percent of visits were among persons aged 10-19 years
Children aged 0-9 years commonly sustained injuries during playground activities or while bicycling.

Learn More

Teen Driving

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.

October 15-21 is National Teen Driver Safety Week! This is a great opportunity to reflect on what can be done to prevent teen crashes and related deaths and injuries, and to spread the word about safe teen driving.

In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. In 2015, more than 2,300 teens (ages 16-19) lost their lives in car crashes. That’s six teens every day. The main threats to teens’ safety are:

Driving or riding in a car with a teen driver.
Driver inexperience.

Discuss the rules of the road with your teen, why they are important to follow, and consequences for breaking them. Create a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement that puts these rules in writing to set clear expectations and limits.

Learn More

Top 10 Ways Stroke Recovery is Different for Young Adults

It is a common misconception that stroke only affects the elderly. However, approximately one-third of all strokes occur in people between the ages of 18 and 65. Young stroke survivors face a unique set of challenges as they begin their recovery journey after a stroke. Here are the top 10 ways that recovery is different for young adult stroke survivors.

Career — Having a stroke at a young age can cause a severe disruption in employment. Most young people who have a stroke will need some amount time off from work, and some will be unable to return to work at all. Those who do return often find that they can no longer work in the same capacity as before— fatigue, memory problems, and concentration issues hinder performance and cause a great deal of frustration.
Finances — When a stroke occurs decades before the age of retirement, most people don’t have the savings to sufficiently support themselves and their families during a time of crisis. Not only does the survivor need time off from work, their spouse may also need to take a leave of absence to provide the necessary care. While Social Security Disability Insurance is an option for some, it can take months to be approved. In the meantime, young survivors face the fear of bankruptcy and ballooning debt.
Young people are unaware of the risk of stroke. They typically hold a belief that they are too young to have a stroke, even if they have risk factors such as smoking or high blood pressure. Strokes among young people, however, are on the rise —15% of ischemic strokes occur in young people and adolescents.
Misdiagnosis — One alarming fact about stroke in young adults is that it is sometimes misdiagnosed or not recognized as a stroke by family, friends, and medical providers due to the belief that stroke only happens to the elderly. Unfortunately, this can cause delays in treatment for hours or even days. This is a major concern when considering that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the lifesaving clot buster, is most effective if given within three hours of stroke onset. Missing this window can have devastating effects on the recovery prognosis.
Hidden symptoms — In young people, the lasting effects of a stroke can hide below the surface where they are felt but not seen. Survivors may experience effects that include post-stroke fatigue, emotional outbursts, and an inability to focus. There is a disconnect between how they look and how they feel. Educating employers, co-workers, friends, and family about the hidden effects of a stroke can help the survivor feel more understood.
Life expectancy — Young stroke survivors have a long life ahead of them, and this means that a large portion of their life will be spent dealing with the effects of their stroke. Financial and caregiving arrangements may need to be made for many years or decades.
Faster recovery — Young people tend to recover faster and more completely than older adults. A young person’s brain has more plasticity and more easily “rewires” than an elderly person’s brain. They may also be in better physical shape than an older person and are therefore more able to complete physical therapy tasks.
Insurance — Typically, adults do not qualify for Medicare until they are 65, and some young stroke survivors are either uninsured to begin with or lose their insurance when they can no longer work after a stroke. While individuals can qualify for Medicare before the age of 65 if they are approved for SSDI, and they may qualify for Medicaid if they can no longer work, insurance issues can be very stressful for young survivors.
Family — Family looks different for a young survivor than an older person. A young survivor may have children whom they are raising, or, they may be thinking about plans to start a family. Parenting is stressful, and the effects of stroke can greatly increase this stress. It is also a very difficult time for the loved ones of the survivor who now have added responsibilities and changing roles.
Lower co-morbidity — Young stroke survivors typically have fewer co-morbidities — health problems occurring at the same time as other health problems — than older people. This means that there are less health conditions such as diabetes, dementia, and heart disease that can complicate the recovery process. This can lead to better outcomes in younger survivors.

Source: StrokeSmart.org

Videos

Keep Moving Forward: Children with Brain Injuries
“Brain injuries occur in a variety of ways, and can happen at any age. It is particularly devastating when a child is injured. No matter how the injury occurs, brain injuries may result in lifelong changes and challenges for children, their families, and the community,” states the Brain Injury Association of New York State, who created this video to help brain-injured children and their families, and the community.

Expert Interviews About Brain Injury
In its Summer 2011 newsletter, BrainLine featured interviews with experts on traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychologist Dr. Wayne Gordon, the Jack Nash Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Associate Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, described the dangers of a second TBI. This interview is one of 18 short video interviews conducted with Dr. Gordon.

Websites and Games

Ability Online
Ability Online is a free, monitored, and supportive online community that welcomes kids, teens, and young adults of all abilities.

Eye Can Learn
Eye exercises for better visual health. Improve your visual information process skills: perception, tracking, focusing, and eye teaming.

Flash Cards
Free printable flash cards: Body parts, colors, household items. Use to help people familiarize themselves with things, and also work on speech. Also contains downloadable calendars.

Free Brain Games
Mensa for Kids: The high IQ society has put together a fun site of puzzles and games designed just for kids.

Free Typing Game
The premier site to play free typing games, lessons and tests!

Fun Learning: Brain Games for Kids
Learning things online is almost so easy you do it accidentally. This is a huge website that contains games for both kids and kids at heart!

Head Injury Prevention In Youth Sports: An Online Guide
A rundown on risks and prevention of head injury in youth sports.

Help Keep Kids Safe®
Did you know that preventable injuries are the leading threat to a child’s health? This website has tons of information to help you become more knowledgeable about safety and prevent injuries to children.

Helping Kids’ Brains
If you think your child needs assistance, or if your school district needs technical assistance in the area of brain injury, or if you would simply like to learn more about brain injuries, this is an excellent website. This site also has several links to other helpful brain injury websites.

JigZone
An online Jigsaw Puzzle where you choose the level of difficulty from a simple 6-piece cut to a challenging 247-piece cut!

PuzzlersParadise
Entertain your mind with their collection of challenging logic puzzles and word games for enthusiasts of all ages. Put on your thinking cap and get puzzling!

Rush Hour®
Your goal is to drive your red car out of the playing grid and escape to freedom!

Simon
Try to keep up with the color pattern sequence for as many levels as you can!

Sporcle
Fun yet mentally stimulating diversions!