BrainLine News - April 2009
Spring is just around the corner and so are kids on bikes. Keeping them safe without spoiling their fun is the focus of National Safe Kids Month and of this issue. Also, this month, look for our new weekly Research Update.
In This Issue
- News and Resources
- Ideas for Caregivers
- Inspiring Stories
News and Resources
Finding the Right Toy for a Child with Special Needs
Choosing the perfect toy is never easy and it can be even more challenging to buy for a child with a TBI. Read "Let's Play: A Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs" to learn more about toys that are safe, appropriate for different skill levels, and, of course, fun!
Read more >>
Keep Your Kids Safe
As a parent, your number one priority is keeping your children safe and healthy. April is National Safe Kids Month, so check out Safe Kids USA, part of a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injuries, a leading killer of children 14 and under. Learn how to keep your child safe — from preventing falls to bike safety.
Read more >>
New BrainLine Series Offers Weekly Research Snapshot
Each week, BrainLine's Research Update offers short, easy-to-understand information on current research. You'll also find a link to the original source so you can read the complete abstract and find out how to get the entire article. We hope you'll check back weekly to keep up with the research world of TBI.
Read more >>
Ain't Misbehaving ...
"The concept of 'behavior' is not just relegated to 'bad things' that people do, but represents the sum of everything that we do," writes Dr. Harvey Jacobs in "Ain't Misbehaving," an article in the most recent issue of Brain Injury Professional magazine. Learn more about the perception of "appropriate" and "inappropriate" behavior, especially as it applies to people with brain injury.
Read more >>
Helping Your Child Succeed in School
Want to find out how to help your children do better in school — and at home? LEARNet, created by the Brain Injury Association of New York State, is a problem-solving system that can help you find ways to support students with brain injury at school and at home. It includes special sections for parents, teachers, and kids as well as information on the brain, tutorials, and suggestions for intervention.
Find out more >>
Get TBI Information Delivered Directly to Your Desktop
BrainLine is offering two new free RSS feeds to help you stay current on research and day-to-day issues related to brain injury. RSS stands for "really simple syndication," and it's a great way to tap into regular fresh content. We are offering an RSS feed for our Research Update series (see above), which offers a weekly snapshot of current research in the TBI field, as well as one for our weekly Ask the Expert series, where our experts answer your questions. You can set up our RSS feeds on your site. They're simple — and free.
Read more >>
Your Brain at Work
What we do everyday affects our brains — the choices we make, our level of physical and mental activity, our social life, diet, and sleep habits. The Dana Alliance and The Conference Board collaborated on a booklet called "Your Brain at Work: Making the Science of Cognitive Fitness Work for You." Learn how mental and physical exercise benefits the brain, why good nutrition matters, why regular rest is crucial, and more.
Read more >>
DCoE Outreach Call Center
Are you a service member or veteran with questions about traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other psychological health issues? The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury has created a new Outreach Call Center to answer your questions 24/7. Established for service members, veterans, families, healthcare providers, military leaders, and employers, the Outreach Call Center also provides valuable tools, tips, resources, and referrals. Remember, seeking support is an act of courage and strength. Call [866.966.1020] or email [resources@dcoeoutreach.org] with your questions.
Learn more >>
Ideas for Caregivers
BrainLine Exclusive: Emergency Physician Jeffrey Bazarian Talks About the "Golden Hour" — the Critical First Hours After a TBI
Why is early identification of a TBI so important? Dr. Bazarian, an emergency physician and associate professor at University of Rochester Medical Center, talks about the importance of immediate care post-injury as well as what research is in the works to more effectively diagnose TBI.
Watch video >>
The Family-School Connection
School can be a frustrating place for a child after a brain injury so it's helpful when the family and school can work together. "Working with Schools," from the Beach Center on Disability, offers a range of useful strategies — from creating an effective individual student behavior support plan for your child to establishing good home-school communication.
Read more >>
Inspiring Stories
An American Soldier's Story
In the fall of 2004, while driving in a supply truck in Iraq, Army Sergeant David Emme was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). He had shrapnel in his brain and he lost more than 50 percent of his hearing. The explosion also tore a huge hole in his leg. Nearly five years later, Emme is in college earning a 3.82 grade point average. Read his story in the just published Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD.
Read more >>
For more information about TBI, please come visit us at BrainLine.org.
All the best from BrainLine.
Noel Gunther, Executive Director
Christian Lindstrom, Director, Learning Media
Victoria Youcha, EdD, Director, BrainLine
Matthew Bruce, Web Manager
Victoria Tilney McDonough, Associate Editor
Elaine Phillips, MSP, CCC/SLP, Research Consultant
Theresa Rankin, Outreach Consultant
Brian King, Senior Multimedia Producer
Kimberley Larson, Web Designer
Ian Collins, Technical Web Manager
Leon Gittens, Project Administrator
Krystal Klingenberg, Project Coordinator
Newsletter editor: Victoria Tilney McDonough
About BrainLine
BrainLine is a service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital.
BrainLine is funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the primary operational TBI component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, through a subcontract award with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine.
This material is based upon work supported by the USAMRAA under Contract Number W81XWH-09-C-0026. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAMRAA.