The TeachAids CrashCourse Concussion Suite includes three education products. All products are available to the public for free and can be accessed through our Products Page and our YouTube Channel. In addition, we have dozens of partnerships with organizations across the U.S., Canada, and in Great Britain that make the CrashCourse products available to their communities and the public.
Note: Some products are available for certification. See certification question below to learn more.
TeachAids operates under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works License and Terms of Use. This means any entity is free to use (or replicate) the CrashCourse products in their current form only. The content may not be altered in any way and must be attributed to the TeachAids organization. Please contact us here if you are interested in collaborating to create derivatives of the CrashCourse products.
The CrashCourse products are designed as comprehensive education and mental health resources for all who are affected by concussions. This population often includes athletes, students, parents, coaches, officials, teachers, caregivers, and military veterans. The products also serve as referral sources for athletic trainers, rehab specialists, and physicians.
The CrashCourse product suite was made with students like you in mind. Whether you’ve had a concussion yourself or you know someone who had one, you can help advocate for greater awareness and understanding of concussion symptoms and their effects.
Our products are available for free through our Products Page and our YouTube Channel. Here are some ways you can use them to educate your school and empower your community:
If you have experienced a concussion firsthand, you know how much it can change a person’s life. To help you feel less alone, we created the Concussion Story Wall – a collection of 4,000 video stories from people who have experienced concussions. It also offers insights from some of the world’s leading medical experts who treat individuals just like you on a daily basis. We encourage you to visit the Story Wall website and explore to find stories like yours. It’s also a way to help others understand what you are experiencing, so feel free to share the link with anyone you know.
As an educator, you are in an influential position to promote learning initiatives among your students. No matter your concussion knowledge level, you will be able to use the CrashCourse products to optimize learning and retention in your environment. If you are highly knowledgeable about concussions, or have access to medical/health experts, CrashCourse products can be used as a supplementary tool to reiterate key concepts and messages. However, if you are new to this information, you may simply show the curriculum in your classroom or during practice to help build new knowledge and correct misconceptions. As concussions are more likely to occur during practices rather than in games, it’s important to share this information with your students or team members as soon as possible.
Product 1: CrashCourse | Concussion Education. This 12-minute video shares the latest medical knowledge about concussion symptoms, prevention, and treatment. An injured athlete faces a dilemma: “Stay in the Game” or “Take a Knee” and asks viewers what they would do. Note: Many athletic programs use this content to provide course certification for their athletes. See FAQ on certification below to learn more.
Product 2: CrashCourse | Brain Fly-Through. Using state-of-the art technology from Stanford University’s Neurosurgical Simulation and Virtual Reality Center, this video is a journey through the human brain. Traveling amidst blood vessels, cerebrospinal fluid and white matter, this fly-through demonstrates the complexity and fragility of the brain, emphasizing the importance of caring for it. Note: Highly recommended for science and human biology classrooms. A Teacher’s Guide for the Brain Fly-Through can be found here.
Product 3: CrashCourse | Concussion Story Wall. This product is an interactive database featuring 4,000 stories from individuals describing personal concussion experiences. It is intended as a comprehensive mental health resource for the many who are affected including athletes, parents, coaches, officials, teachers, caregivers, and military veterans. It also serves as a referral source for athletic trainers, rehab specialists, and physicians. For class curriculum, 14 leading medical experts offer video descriptions of concussion symptoms and how best to manage them. This is an invaluable resource to give students a well-rounded understanding of concussions and their effects on real people.
As a parent, guardian, caregiver, or friend, you are in a unique position to observe the changes that occur after concussion while caring for your loved one. You know how a concussion can impact the person who is injured along with the entire family. To help improve understanding of concussion and its symptoms, we encourage you to use and share the CrashCourse products, which are available for free through our Products Page and our YouTube Channel. Here are some ways you can use our products to educate your loved one’s school and empower your community:
Our final product, the Concussion Story Wall, was created to help you and your loved one feel less alone. In addition to stories from over 600 students, more than 100 family members have filmed videos about their experiences to help address many variables that make concussion a complex injury. Hear their stories, insights, and candid comments to help guide you during this difficult time. An additional highlight of the Concussion Story Wall is a panel of 14 of the world’s leading medical experts addressing specific aspects of concussions related to symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
As a military veteran, you likely have been exposed to environments where concussions occur often, and you may have experienced at least one during training or in active combat. With this in mind, it may be helpful to hear from a community of people who are willing to talk about their experiences. From injury to diagnosis, recovery and beyond, the Concussion Story Wall is that place.
Our hope is that stories from others along with the advice of medical experts will reinforce the importance of immediately disclosing and discussing your symptoms with your medic and/or commander. If you have left the military and are still experiencing symptoms, the Concussion Story Wall emphasizes why you should seek support and help from your Veteran’s Administration services (e.g., local VA Hospital, etc.).
While your injury is unique to you, interacting with the Concussion Story Wall will enable you to hear about other experiences, some of which may sound familiar. Additionally, the Story Wall offers unique insights from some of the world’s leading medical experts who treat individuals like you on a daily basis. In fact, two of these, Dr. Cifu and Col. (Ret.) Hack, MD, have worked extensively and directly with veterans.
Whether you are accessing the product for the latest information from our leading medical experts or looking to provide a valuable resource for your patients, the CrashCourse product suite was developed to be used as a supplementary tool to reiterate key concepts and messages.
Our hope is that you will be comfortable in referring your patients and their caregivers to the CrashCourse website in order to help them understand more of the challenges they may face on their road to recovery. In addition, our products will help to reinforce the concept that your patient is not alone in their journey to recovery. To see an example of how a hospital has implemented CrashCourse, visit Stanford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital webpage.
All the CrashCourse products are free and available online. They can be found via our Products Page and our YouTube Channel.
TeachAids is forging formal partnerships with larger organizations throughout the country. Please contact us here if you have any questions or would like to connect.
TeachAids has partnered with a variety of diverse organizations from advocacy groups to hospitals, statewide school systems, and sports organizations that have implemented CrashCourse to educate the communities they serve. Some examples include: National Council of Youth Sports, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA), The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), Arkansas Department of Education, Pop Warner Little Scholars, USA Cheer, Stanford Neurosurgical Simulation & Virtual Reality Center, and the Brain Injury Association of America.
The lessons in the CrashCourse curriculum are applicable to all. For those interested in earning a course certification, several organizations offer them to the public free of cost. For immediate certification download, try USA Football’s website. Other examples are USA Artistic Swimming, USA Fencing, USA Field Hockey, US Speedskating, and USA Team Handball.
If you have a concussion or other brain injury, contact the Brain Injury Association of America’s National Brain Injury Information Center (NBIIC) for resources in your state. A trusted TeachAids partner, the Brain Injury Association of America is the oldest and largest brain injury advocacy organization in the United States.
Trained professionals at NBIIC assist individuals and families who experience the life-changing effects of brain injuries, including concussion. When you contact NBIIC, you will be linked to compassionate, knowledgeable specialists who help locate rehabilitative, legal, financial, and other support services critical to maximizing your recovery. To speak to a local brain injury specialist in your state, contact NBIIC at 1-800-444-6443.
Other Resources:
Veterans Administration: Polytrauma/TBI System of Care
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention