Our Approach for Concussion Education
CrashCourse educates young people on the prevention and treatment of concussions.
Step 1
Identify the problem
We work with our stakeholders to identify global health challenges to determine if they can be addressed through targeted health education.
“Concussion is the No. 1 problem for sports throughout the world” (Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 21st 2020).
As the number of concussions steadily increases so does national attention on the need for effective prevention and treatment. An estimated 2.5M concussions occur each year in the United States alone. It’s an all too common sports injury, yet it’s surrounded by myths and misconceptions. Much is still unknown about the human brain, even with the latest medical technology. While science is evolving, concussions remain, in large part, a mystery.
Three out of five high school athletes don’t report their concussions. Young people are often unaware that they have a concussion or are afraid to speak-up. Like many challenging health topics, concussions have also become stigmatized as many athletes opt to play through the symptoms, not fully understanding the consequences. With better prevention, education, and evolving treatment protocols, together we can support athletes to best navigate through social, structural, and political pressures in order to elevate their performance.
Step 2
Embrace complexity
We seek to understand the socioeconomic, medical, and cultural influences impacting the problem.
We aimed to understand the reasons why youth were not reporting concussions and the role education could play to shift this perspective. Our approach began with conducting thousands of hours of interviews across more than 600 stakeholders, including coaches, parents, teachers, and athletes. With the target of understanding the culture around sports injuries, our reach was broad and deep – ranging from interviews with local high school athletes to Team USA Olympians.
We discovered that concussions were at the center of many competing challenges. First, although there were ample materials available for parents, coaches, athletic trainers, and medical professionals, there was a dearth of customized research-based education for athletes. This was problematic because most decisions to report concussions were ultimately in the hands of the injured athletes and their teammates.
Second, rapidly evolving science meant existing materials were often incorrect or outdated. For instance, medical experts shared countless stories of parents administering treatment plans based on misconceptions (e.g., concussions only occur from direct hits to the head, concussions are more serious if there is a loss of consciousness, athletes with concussions should be confined in a dark room).
Third, the increasing prevalence of concussions among youth was coupled with an abundance of media attention shedding light on the issue. However, constraints with time and space through news outlets made it difficult for concerned individuals to understand the full picture. People often came away with, and made decisions based on, fragmented knowledge.
Step 3
Innovate solutions
We identify solutions that will resonate and thrive in complex and diverse communities.
Over the past few years, we have collaborated with hundreds of academics, researchers, and physicians nationwide, and beyond, to understand how best to design and develop the most impactful concussion education available. In addition, we turned our attention to the target audience: young people. Over the past several years, we worked with hundreds of youth spanning middle school through college. The sessions were conducted formally via four classes offered through Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education and the School of Medicine. Through numerous human-centered design activities and hundreds of iterations on the storyboard, college-aged students and youth offered valuable insights to guide leading experts to build the most engaging curricula possible.
INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
With the vision of producing the most effective and compelling concussion education, TeachAids established the Institute for Brain Research and Innovation. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the vision of this Institute is to understand how best to promote knowledge relating to concussion symptoms, the understanding of their severity, and the critical importance of timely reporting. The goal of this research is to help develop education-based interventions and evaluate their efficacy to promote positive outcomes.
The Director of this Institute is Dr. Daniel Daneshvar M.D., Ph.D., a world-renowned researcher on the long-term effects of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury, concussion, and repetitive head impacts, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and Faculty at Harvard Medical School.
Below are the CrashCourse suite of education productions.
1. CRASHCOURSE: CONCUSSION EDUCATION (12 MIN)
- Synthesizes first-person and third-person experiential perspectives to inform and motivate learning about concussion signs and symptoms
- Corrects myths and misconceptions and helps the viewer recognize the seriousness of reporting
- Recognize the importance of working with an athletic trainer or physician to determine the best strategy for improvement
- Available online as a standard video and in virtual reality (Oculus Rift/Rift S | Oculus Go)
- Course Completion Certification available for athletes, parents and coaches (see FAQ page)
Note: In order to demonstrate the impact of concussions, this curriculum uses scenes from a football game. We will be releasing a V2 of this curriculum which integrates a variety of sports scenes into the production. We are working with 19 of the US Olympic Committee’s sports’ governing bodies on the development of this.
2. CRASHCOURSE: BRAIN FLY-THROUGH (8 MIN)
- Uses state-of-the art technology from Stanford University’s Neurosurgical Simulation and Virtual Reality Center
- Takes the viewer on a journey through the human brain to conceptualize an otherwise “invisible” injury
- Showcases the brain’s blood vessels, nervous system, and cerebrospinal fluid cavities
- Emphasizes the complexity and fragility of the brain
- Available online as a standard video and in virtual reality (Oculus Rift/Rift S | Oculus Go), accompanied with a Teacher’s Guide
This product was presented in collaboration with the Brain Injury Association of America as well as the US Olympic and Paralympic’s National Sports Governing Bodies including: USA Archery, USA Artistic Swimming, USA Baseball, USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Cycling, USA Diving, USA Fencing, USA Field Hockey, USA Football, USA Gymnastics, USA Hockey, US Lacrosse, US Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating, USA Taekwondo, USA Triathlon and USA Wrestling.
3. CRASHCOURSE: CONCUSSION STORY WALL (early 2021)
- An interactive database showcasing more than 650+ video narratives from those impacted by this invisible injury
- Personal stories include cause of injury, description of symptoms, and helpful recovery tips
- Each subtype of symptoms are coupled with expert advice from leading medical professionals
- Designed as a resource for those impacted by concussions: athletes, parents, coaches, officials, teachers, and medical professionals
- Includes a special section for military service veterans
With the seriousness of head injuries, every state now has a law related to concussions. To meet this need and protect our young people, we’ve made our education available to all at no cost. Visit our CrashCourse product page to learn more.
Step 4
Engage athletes
We secure strategic partnerships with prominent national and community partners.
With sports being at the intersection of many complementary disciplines, we are building a coalition to engage the most powerful influencers across the world. Together we aim to provide this robust education to youth globally. From policy makers, medical institutions, foundations, and media outlets to schools and sports organizations, we are joining forces to provide much needed comprehensive education to those who need it most, for free. We have built collaborations with Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Brain Injury Association of America, and representatives of many leading universities throughout the country (Stanford University, Harvard University, MIT, UCSF, etc.).
Amongst our United States Olympic and Paralympics Committee partners are: USA Hockey, USA Baseball, USA Gymnastics, USA Soccer, USA Archery, US Artistic Swimming, USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Cycling, USA Diving, USA Fencing, USA Field Hockey, USA Football, USA Karate, US Lacrosse, US Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating, USA Taekwondo, USA Triathlon and USA Wrestling.
To ensure the creation of medically accurate, unbiased, and trusted materials, TeachAids only accepts funding from entities with no conflicting interests.
Step 5
Distribute products
Our mission is to provide access to our lifesaving health education to as many people as possible.
The CrashCourse education content has been shared by many organizations throughout the country and in Canada to educate those whom they serve. Below is a list of some examples (in alphabetical order):
- Alberta Female Hockey League (Canada)
- American Youth Football & Cheer (AYF)
- Arkansas (commenced by their governor, CrashCourse has been instituted throughout the state)
- Brain Injury Association of America
- California Therapy Solutions
- EAST Initiative (Education Accelerated by Service and Technology)
- George Brown College (Canada)
- HeadCheck Health (Canada)
- Headway Foundation
- HitCheck
- Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
- North Carolina (CrashCourse is mandatory for all athletes and parents in the state)
- Oculus VR
- One Hit Away Foundation
- Pacific Junior Hockey League (Canada)
- Pop Warner Little Scholars
- Positive Coaching Alliance
- Red Deer College (Alberta, Canada)
- Royal Military College (Canada)
- Stanford Neurosurgical Simulation & Virtual Reality Center
- Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (distributed to their list of 10,000+ educators representing all major school districts in the U.S.)
- TeamSnap
- The LEMO Foundation
- University of British Columbia (Canada)
- US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (released CrashCourse content via their nationwide coaching newsletter to 400,000 coaches representing 50+ sports) Several of the USOPC’s National Sports Governing Bodies including USA Artistic Swimming, USA Field Hockey, USA Speed Skating and USA Football provide formal “certifications” upon successful completion of the CrashCourse curriculum through their own platforms.
Our product suite is available for free through our Creative Commons License as standard videos and in virtual reality. To date, we have secured partnerships to reach thousands of youth across every major school district in the United States. It is our goal for all athletes — regardless of their location, sport, and school — to have access to the curriculum.