BrainSTEPS Colorado

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Join BrainSTEPS CO for the 2024-25 school year.

New TEAM and NEW MEMBER training will take place on October 22nd and 23rd, 2024. To participate, please complete the application provided below, and we will contact you with further details.

Application to Join BrainSTEPS CO (PDF)

About BrainSTEPS CO

The Colorado’s BrainSTEPS CO (Strategies Teaching Educators, Parents, and Students) Brain Injury School Re-Entry Consulting Program was modeled after Pennsylvania’s BrainSTEPS program which began assisting school districts in 2007 and is considered a national model for brain injury educational consulting. Download "Why your District/BOCES Needs a BrainSTEPS CO Consulting Team" (PDF).

As a result of acquired brain injury, many students return to school with lingering effects that impact classroom performance. BrainSTEPS CO has been designed to consult with school teams and families in the development and delivery of educational services for students who have experienced acquired brain injury.

Acquired brain injuries include any injury to the brain that is sustained after birth and is not related to a congenital or degenerative disease. We have now added Congenital Brain Injuries!

Traumatic brain injuries (injuries caused by an external force), including concussions, and
Non-traumatic brain injuries (e.g., strokes, brain tumors, brain infections, and anoxia).

BrainSTEPS CO works not only on re-entry for students following brain injury but also with students previously identified as having a brain injury who may begin to demonstrate educational challenges over the years as the brain develops and matures.

BrainSTEPS CO teams:

Consult with schools regarding IDEA identification, IEP/504 Plan development, possible interventions, and implementation based on the Building Blocks of Brain Development^© framework. Teams also consult on school re-entry planning and other issues school professionals face in supporting students with brain injuries.
Provide consultation and/or education to parents of any student with brain injury referred to the team and ongoing communication regarding services the team is providing for the student.
Monitor students annually until graduation for the manifestation of new cognitive/behavioral/social issues related to brain injury.
Disseminate brain injury resource information (e.g., written information, links to websites, referrals to community resources, etc.) to educators, families, and community providers working with students with brain injury.
Provide training on the educational implications of brain injury to educators as well as the local community (e.g., parent, medical, rehabilitation).

Brochure and Best Practices

Current BrainSTEPS CO Teams

Academy 20 School District
Adams 12
Aspen School District
Aurora Public Schools
Boulder Valley School District
Centennial BOCES
Cherry Creek School District
Colorado River BOCES
Denver Public Schools
Douglas County School District
Eagle County School District

East Central BOCES
Fort Morgan RE-3
Fountain‐Fort Carson School District 8
Harrison 2 School District
JeffCo Public Schools
Littleton Public Schools
Mapleton Public Schools
Mesa County Valley School District
Moffat County School District
Montrose School District
Poudre School District
Pueblo County District 70

Roaring Fork School District
San Juan BOCES
School District 27J
School District 49
St. Vrain Valley School District
Thompson Schools
Ute Pass BOCES
Weld RE-4
Weld RE-6

BrainSteps CO Team Contacts

Jody Dickerson, MN, BSN
BrainSTEPS CO Program Coordinator
Phone: (720) 795-2273
Email Jody Dick erson

Toni Grishman, RN, BSN
BrainSTEPS CO Program Coordinator
Web: Health and Wellness - Brain Injury
P (303) 524-4321
Email Toni Grisham

BrainSTEPS is a joint project between the Colorado Mindsource Brain Injury Network and the Colorado Department of Education.

CDHS - Mindsource Brain Injury Network

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