Dell Children’s Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic

The Dell Children’s Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic at the Pediatric Rehabilitation Center is a multidisciplinary clinic within UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children, a clinical partnership between Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin.

The Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic diagnoses, treats, and manages the care of children and adolescents from 2 to 18 years of age with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our interdisciplinary clinic offers comprehensive brain injury care and uses evidence-based approaches to address the needs of children and adolescents with all severities of TBI.

Complex Concussion

The Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic treats children with complex concussion and monitors symptom resolution in those who are not recovering as expected or who have risk factors such as preexisting mental health issues, attention problems, learning difficulties, or multiple concussions.

Complicated TBI

The Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic also cares for children with complicated mild-to-moderate TBI, including skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhages/bleeding. Your child will be seen in a joint visit with a specialized medical provider and a pediatric neuropsychologist to ensure we meet their cognitive, educational, emotional, and medical needs. Our goal is for your child to safely return to mental and physical activities as independently as possible.

Sports-Related Concussion

Our Sports Concussion Clinic addresses the needs of adolescents aged 12 to 18 with sports-related concussions as well as competitive athletes who have sustained a concussion outside of sports (e.g., from falls, wheeled activities, or motor vehicle crashes). Our team of sports concussion specialists includes certified pediatric medical providers, athletic trainers, and pediatric neuropsychologists. Our goal is to help athletes return to school and sports safely, using the most up-to-date evidence for active rehabilitation. We perform objective, multimodal assessments, including a detailed history, balance testing, and cognitive evaluations, to guide the return-to-learn process and gradual return to sports. Because aerobic exercise in the early recovery period is shown to decrease symptoms and shorten recovery time, exercise therapy begins in the clinic, ideally within a few days of your child’s injury, and continues under the supervision of the school athletic trainer.

Clinical Data and Research

The Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic has an extensive clinical database that allows us to evaluate and compare outcomes for at-risk children. Our goal is to improve clinical care and outcomes for all children, particularly those at highest risk for persistent symptoms or prolonged recovery. We are actively involved with national brain injury and concussion organizations and share our findings to advance concussion care for children and adolescents in our community and beyond.

The Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion Clinic is the only program in Central Texas that offers interdisciplinary pediatric TBI and concussion care with embedded access to individualized neuropsychology evaluation. Our evidence-based model includes direct communication with school staff, coaches, and athletic trainers, and our team provides concussion education for primary care providers, nurses, trainers, and coaches throughout Texas and beyond.

Through our clinical partnership with Dell Children's Medical Center, the UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s program contributes to Dell Children's national recognition as one of the country's best specialty programs for Neurology and Neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report in 2025-2026.

Patients are cared for by a dedicated interdisciplinary care team, meaning you will benefit from the expertise of multiple specialists across a variety of disciplines. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric nurse practitioners have extensive experience in brain injury and concussion and work alongside a team of pediatric experts, including neuropsychologists, athletic trainers, registered nurses, and more, providing unparalleled care for patients during every step of their recovery.

We collaborate closely with referring physicians and other partners in the community, including pediatricians, school nurses, athletic trainers, and coaches, to communicate your child’s individualized TBI/concussion care plan and to coordinate any additional care services your child may need.

Families can expect the first appointment to be 60–120 minutes. This allows our team time to learn your child’s health history, details of their injury, and their emotional, cognitive, sleep, and physical symptoms. Assessments may include neurocognitive testing, computerized balance testing, and a neurological exam. Athletes will participate in exercise therapy, completing graded exercise on our clinic treadmill under the supervision of an athletic trainer and medical provider. Follow-up appointments are scheduled based on individual needs, and virtual visits are available when appropriate.

Before your child’s first visit:

• Make sure they get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast or lunch.
• Have them take any prescribed daily medicine for attention difficulties.
• Dress them in comfortable clothes and sneakers or tennis shoes for exercise therapy.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to complete registration and check-in. The full appointment time is needed for our team to evaluate your child and develop an individualized care plan.

For more information, questions about early concussion care, or to schedule an appointment, please call 1-512-628-1850. Primary care provider referrals can be faxed to 1-512-380-4268. Community athletic trainers and school nurses should complete our referral form.