Wounded veteran Matt Brown has fought many wars in mind and body since he returned from Iraq. In this poem, he captures the transformation of children playing at war to the reality of service members in combat seeing death and the wounds of war every day. Our returning service members and veterans are changed by the experience of war and the innocence of youth is forever lost.

Students with traumatic and other acquired brain injuries often have such difficulty with attention that it affects their ability to pay attention in class, study effectively, do homework and succeed in school. Katherine Kimes provides educational tips and strategies that teachers can use in the classroom to help improve a student’s attention and performance. These practical suggestions for students with brain injury (TBI) can be used by all educational staff as well as parents.

The measurement of physical improvement after an injury resulting from a Traumatic Brain Injury is initially the medical indications of brain activity through signs of physiological activity. This may be even during the time a person is in a coma.

Despite what some people – and it seems most insurance adjusters may think – TBI doesn’t go away when the accident victim is released from the hospital or when the lawsuit ends. In fact — as the public becomes more and more aware of the real consequences to many professional athletes and football players in particular who have suffered head injuries during their playing careers — very real and devastating consequences can lie in store, even for less immediately debilitating head injuries and concussions.

Living with PTSD can feel like fighting another war for a veteran. But this time it’s a war fought at home and it’s personal. It’s not the bullets and explosives that are coming at you but your memories and feelings that are wounding you. Matt Brown, a wounded veteran of Iraq, describes his fight to look within himself to identify his triggers for PTSD and to fight once more for his life now that he is home.

My name is Madeline Uretsky, and I am a 16 year old high school student/athlete; I play soccer, ice hockey, and track, am an active member in my school/class, an honor roll student, and a very positive person. In a matter of seconds, all of this changed for me. You never think it’s going to happen to you.

“With a Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI, ‘normal’ daily activities become huge tasks. These are the things I do every day that I used to take for granted – things I never thought would be hard to do. I’m lucky because my TBI is a mild one, but I still struggle some days.” These are the words of Matt Brown, a veteran of Iraq, who finds that nothing can be taken for granted anymore as he lives with the wounds of war.

Learning to tell the story of our life after a brain injury, either as a survivor or a family caregiver, is a powerful method of exploring what we now believe to be true about ourselves and our lives. Our brains naturally perceive through story, and we live according to the stories we believe to be true. Most of this happens without our awareness, but by journaling we can consciously explore our beliefs and choose to release those that no longer serve us in positive ways. And when our pre-injury story no longer holds true, we can use journaling to create a new one that acknowledges our new reality and builds upon it.

Managing the behavior of students with traumatic brain injury can be challenging and frustrating for teachers, therapists and parents. Katherine Kimes explains four types of behavior management strategies that can be used in rehabilitation as well as at home and in school. By understanding how to identify changes in behaviors that are related to the brain injury or TBI and then measuring those behaviors, educators and therapists can develop and implement a plan to encourage positive adaptive behaviors and to decrease “problem” behaviors in children and adolescents.

“Admitting that you have an issue with PTSD isn’t a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you are truly a strong person. Actively seeking a treatment plan or someone to talk with can be one of the most difficult things to do in your life, but it also can be one of the most rewarding.” These are the words of Matt Brown who knows first hand how hard it can be to ask for help.