Types of ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURIES & CAUSES that BrainSTEPS Supports
The Student's brain injury must be medically documented.
Concussions/Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
Make BrainSTEPS student referral at 4 weeks post-concussion if symptoms persist.
Causes (but not limited to):
Moderate & Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries
Make BrainSTEPS student referral immediately
- Sports
- Recreation Activities (playground, PE class, recess, etc.)
- Falls
- Assault
- Abuse
- Abusive Head Trauma (used to be referred to as Shaken Baby Syndrome)
- Child Abuse/Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
- Gunshot Wound
- Motor Vehicle Crash (ATV, car, go-cart, bus)
- Pedestrian Accident
- Bicycle Accident
- Bomb Blast
- This list is not inclusive
Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries
Make BrainSTEPS student referral immediately.
- Stroke
- Brain Tumor
- Lack of Oxygen
- Choking
- Lightning Strike
- Electric Shock
- Near Drowning
- Cardiac Arrest
- Diabetic Coma
- Strangulation
- Aneurysm
- Ruptured AVM
- Brain Infection/Virus
- Long-COVID or Neuro-COVID
- Meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Lyme Disease
- PANS/PANDAS
- Toxic Injury
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Lead Poisoning
- Chemical Poisoning
- Lyme Disease
- Mold Exposure
- Seizure Disorder that a child is not born with
- Childhood Cancers that involve Late-Term Chemotherapy & Radiation Effects to the Brain
- Opioid Use/Drug Overdose
- This list is not inclusive
Brain Injury Support Framework
The BrainSTEPS is a nationally recognized Brain Injury School Consulting Program. Established in 2007, the BrainSTEPS Program builds a bridge connecting students, families, medical rehabilitation providers, and school staff.
BrainSTEPS created the Brain Injury Support Framework to assist students who struggle to learn after an acquired brain injury. This framework provides Pennsylvania schools with brain injury-specific academic supports to ensure students receive an appropriate education after an injury.
BrainSTEPS teams are based in all 29 educational Intermediate Units and cover all Pennsylvania public schools. Over 200 BrainSTEPS consultants provide brain injury consultation and training to their local school districts across the Commonwealth when a child has been identified as having experienced an acquired brain injury, which includes traumatic brain injuries of all severities, concussions, and nontraumatic brain injuries.
BrainSTEPS offers brain injury-related consultation and training to school staff, students, and parents in all Pennsylvania Public Schools. They also monitor students by checking in with their parents annually until the student graduates, aiming to identify any new learning or behavior issues that may arise over time, which is common after a brain injury.
Established in 2007 by the PA Department of Health, BrainSTEPS is jointly funded by the PA Department of Health and PA Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education via the PaTTAN network. Dr. Brenda Eagan-Johnson directs the program ([email protected]). BrainSTEPS is offered to PA public school students at no cost to the student or parent.
