Brain Injury Service
Students with Brain Injury have Special Needs
Brain injuries are common in children and can result from accidents, tumors, strokes, infections, or other medical emergencies. When students have a brain injury, they may experience new problems with learning and behavior. Managing these problems and the student’s return to school can be frustrating for parents and teachers. Children may also have long-term learning or behavior difficulties following a brain injury that occured when the child was younger and are continuing to affect their school performance. Finding effective ways to deal with the effects of brain injury may require special support and assistance for children, families, and local school staff.
AEA Brain Injury Teams
The Iowa Department of Education has created Brain Injury Resource Teams at each Area Education Agency (AEA) to meet the needs of children with brain injuries. In addition, a Brain Injury Resource Team from the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics provides consultation to the AEA teams. These teams collaborate to provide consultation for children who have sustained a recent brain injury or were injured in the past; their families, and local school personnel.
Another statewide support system that provides information, training, and technical assistance to families, service providers, agencies, and community groups is the Iowa Brain Injury Resource Network (IBIRN).
Center for Disabilities and Development
The CDD has a long history of providing clinical services to children with brain injuries through the Pediatric Brain Injury Service. To support the AEA Brain Injury Resource Teams, the CDD provides consultation to help specific students as well as facilitation of training to build and maintain the skills of AEA teams serving students with brain injury.
Consultation for specific students could include:
- telephone or video conferencing
- on-site visits to thelocal schools.
For More Information
To obtain assistance through this program, call your local AEA Brain Injury Resource Team contact person listed below.
For more information about the consultation service provided by the CDD, contact:
Valerie Cool, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Center for Disabilities and Development
100 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242-1011
Phone 319-356-1446
877-686-0031 (toll free)
FAX 319-384-8762
valerie-cool@uiowa.edu
AEA Brain Injury Resource Team
Contact People
Department of Education
Barb Rankin
515-281-5447
FAX: 515-242-6019
Keystone AEA 1
Mary Purdy
Dubuque Sector Office
2310 Chaney Rd
Dubuque, IA • 52001-3090
563-556-3310
Fax: 563-587-0268
mpurdy@aea1.k12.ia.us
AEA 267
Jim Reed, Special Education Coordinator
3706 Cedar Heights Drive
Cedar Falls, IA 50617
319-273-8275
FAX: 319-273-8275
jreed@aea267.k12.ia.us
Northwest AEA
Dana Oas
1385 4th Ave NE
Sioux Center, IA 51250
712-722-4378
doas@nwaea.k12.ia.us
Prairie Lakes AEA 8
Pam Ahlrichs
900-A 20th Street
Spirit Lake, IA 51360-1250
712-262-4704
Fax: 712-336-1494
pahlrichs@aea8.k12.ia.us
Mississippi Bend AEA 9
Sue Wood, Psychologist
729 – 21st Street
Bettendorf, IA 52722-5012
563-344-6387
Fax: 563-344-6374
swood@aea9.k12.ia.us
Grant Wood AEA 10
Kelly Martin
4401 – 6th Street SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
319-399-6801
Fax: 319-399-6457
kmartin@aea10.k12.ia.us
Heartland AEA 11
MaryAnn Strawhacker
6500 Corporate Drive
Johnston IA 50131-1603
515-270-5383
1-800-362-2720
mstrawhacker@aea11.k12.ia.us
Loess Hills AEA 13
Julie Stessman
1600 S Highway 275, Ste 160
Council Bluffs, IA 51503-7898
712-366-4210
Fax: 712-366-4215
jstessman@aea13.k12.ia.us
Green Valley AEA 14
Angie Hance
1405 N. Lincoln
Creston, IA 50801
641-782-8443
Fax: 641-782-4298
ahance@aea14.k12.ia.us
Great Prairie AEA
Joe Schacherer
1711 Osceola Ave
PO Box 210
Chariton, IA 50049
641-774-2613, X107
Fax: 641-682-9083
schachererj@aea15.k12.ia.us
Des Moines Public Schools
Dagny Fidler
Ruby Van Meter School
710 – 28th Street
Des Moines, IA 50312
515-242-8220
Fax: 515-242-8223
dagny.fidler@dmps.k12.ia.us
(From left to right: Kelly Vinquist, Sheri Milligan Smith, Jim Porter, Susan Van Wye, Valerie Cool, Arda Lucas, Angie Smith, Scott Lindgren, Peggy Meder)
Brain Injury Service Team Members
Scott Lindgren, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pediatric
Psychology
Scott-Lindgren@uiowa.edu
Sheri Milligan Smith, M.A., Education Consultant, Project
Coordinator
Sheri-Smith@uiowa.edu
Valerie Cool, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Valerie-Cool@uiowa.edu
Jim Porter, LISW Social Work
James-Porter@uiowa.edu
Angie Smith, Psy.D. Clinical Psychologist
Angela-Smith@uiowa.edu
Peg Meder, M.A., Educational Consultant
Paige Burden, MA, CCC-SLP
Susan Van Wye, ARNP, Nurse Practioner
Arda Lucas, Scheduling
