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Welcome to the Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN) website.

SPAN was initially designed to help teenagers and young adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) achieve their social participation goals. Social participation is defined as spending time and doing activities with others.

The SPAN program was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr. Shari Wade (Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center) and Dr. Gary Bedell (Tufts University). Teenagers and young adults in the SPAN program are given access to a web-based app to help them set and keep track of their goals. They will also partner with a peer coach who will help them develop goals and actively work on a plan to achieve each goal.

The resources on this website were initially designed to help teenagers and young adults with TBI but may be useful for other individuals who might need extra social participation support as well as their families, friends, and professionals who work with them.

Research to date has only involved teenagers who have had a traumatic brain injury or brain tumor

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1Narad, M.E., Bedell, G., King, J.A., Johnson, Turkstra, L.S., Haarbauer-Krupa , J., Wade, S.L. (2017). Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN): Description and usability of app-based coaching intervention for adolescents with TBI. Developmental Neurorehabilitation. Early online. doi:10.1080/17518423.2017.1354092.

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2Bedell, G., Wade, S.L., Turkstra, L.S., & Haarbauer-Krupa, J. & King, J. (2016). Informing design of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation of teenagers with traumatic brain injury: Stakeholder perspectives. Developmental Neurorehabilitation. Early online. doi:10.1080/17518423.2016.1237584.

. However, continued research is planned with other teenagers and young adults who might need assistance with setting social participation goals and navigating social situations.