Explore easy-to-understand guides and practical tools designed to help identify and respond to neurological conditions in real-world situations. These resources make it easier to bridge the gap between medical awareness and public safety, empowering both community members and first responders to act with clarity and compassion.

Videos & Training Tools

Discover a collection of powerful videos and training resources designed to build awareness and improve real-world response. Each piece highlights the importance of recognizing medical emergencies and encourages more informed, compassionate action.

Seizure First Aid: What to Do 

This short video walks viewers through the essential steps of seizure first aid, showing what real seizure activity can look like and how to respond safely. It helps the public and first responders understand the difference between a medical emergency and behavior that’s too often mistaken for intoxication or resistance.

FAST: Spot a Stroke, Save a Life

This quick, memorable video explains how to recognize a stroke using the FAST method (Face, Arm, Speech, Time). It emphasizes how acting quickly can save lives and why it’s critical not to misread these warning signs.

How to Communicate with Someone Who Has Hearing Loss

This video offers practical tips on how to communicate clearly with someone who has hearing loss. It shows how small adjustments in communication can reduce misunderstandings and prevent unnecessary escalation in stressful situations.

Aphasia: The Disorder That Makes You Lose Your Words

This animated video explains what aphasia is and how it affects a person’s ability to speak and understand language. It helps viewers recognize communication challenges that may look like noncompliance but are actually medical in nature.

5 Communication Tips for Dementia” – Alzheimer Society

This video gives simple, real communication strategies for talking with someone who has dementia. I like it because it shows how dementia changes processing and language, so what looks like “ignoring you” is really the brain struggling to keep up.

"Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms” – Medical/Brain Injury Education Channel

This video breaks down common TBI symptoms like confusion, slow thinking, emotional outbursts, and trouble following directions. It fits my site because these symptoms are exactly what gets mistaken for intoxication or resistance in real life.

Research & Articles

1. Missed Diagnosis of Stroke in the Emergency Department — Newman-Toker et al. (2014)

This article focuses on how often strokes are overlooked or misdiagnosed in emergency settings. It explains how symptoms like dizziness, headache, or confusion are sometimes brushed off as minor issues instead of being recognized as warning signs of a stroke. This kind of misinterpretation can delay life-saving care and lead to worse outcomes for patients.
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2. Safer Stroke-Dx Instrument: Identifying Stroke Misdiagnosis — Saleh Velez et al. (2021)

This study introduces a tool designed to help reduce the number of stroke cases that get misclassified. It highlights the importance of structured assessments to catch red flags early and ensure patients receive proper medical attention. This kind of screening can make a real difference in how emergencies are handled.
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3. Factors Predicting Misidentification of Acute Ischemic Stroke — Glober et al. (2022)

This research examines why strokes are sometimes labeled incorrectly in the early stages like during EMS dispatch or initial evaluations. It shows how certain factors can lead even trained professionals to make wrong assumptions. Understanding these factors helps improve response and accuracy.
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4. Frequency and Characteristics of Non-Neurological and Neurological Stroke Mimics in the Emergency Department — Kühne Escolà et al. (2023)

This article explains how conditions that look like strokes often called “stroke mimics” are more common than most people realize. Seizures, infections, and other medical issues can easily be mistaken for a stroke, making early recognition and proper training essential.
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5. Epileptic Seizures and Criminal Acts: Is There a Relationship? — Sander et al. (2019)

This article explores how epileptic seizures can sometimes be mistaken for criminal actions or misunderstood during legal proceedings. It explains that post-ictal behavior like confusion, wandering, or unresponsiveness can be misread as intoxication or noncompliance. It’s a powerful reminder of how neurological symptoms can be easily misjudged in criminal justice settings.
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6. Functional Seizures and Their Mimics: A Retrospective Study — Dudley et al. (2024)

This research looks at how functional seizures — which can mimic epileptic events — are frequently misdiagnosed or misunderstood. It shows how these situations can lead to confusion not only in medical settings but also in encounters with law enforcement when someone’s behavior doesn’t fit expectations.
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7. Hearing and Justice: The Link Between Hearing Impairment and Criminal Justice Involvement — Young et al. (2019)

This article explores how hearing impairments can affect how people interact with law enforcement, courts, and legal processes. It explains how missed cues, delayed responses, or lack of accommodations can lead to misunderstandings and escalate legal consequences.
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8. Assessment of Deaf People in Forensic Mental Health Settings — Young et al. (2010)

This study examines how deaf individuals are often misunderstood or misclassified in forensic and legal systems due to inadequate communication support and cultural awareness. It highlights the serious impact of these misunderstandings on fair treatment and justice outcomes.
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9. Crisis Intervention Teams May Prevent Arrests of People with Mental Illnesses

This article explains how Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs help law enforcement respond more safely to people experiencing mental health crises. I chose this source because it shows that when officers are trained to recognize medical and psychological distress instead of defaulting to force or arrest, outcomes improve for everyone. It directly supports my project’s message that behavior in crisis situations should be treated as medical first—not criminal
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10. “Findings from the Florida–Puerto Rico Stroke Registry (FLPRSR): EMS-transported Stroke Patients in Florida” — Gardener et al.

This study analyzes thousands of stroke cases across Florida including many transported by EMS and shows how often stroke symptoms are misunderstood or under-recognized before hospital arrival. I chose this because it directly supports the need for improved medical training and awareness among first responders. It reinforces the idea that what looks like “confusion” or “noncompliance” might be a medical emergency, and that better pre-hospital recognition can save lives and prevent misidentification.
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11. “Research to Improve Law Enforcement Responses to Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities”-Compton & Watson

This report explains how law enforcement agencies across the U.S. respond to people experiencing mental health or developmental disabilities during crisis situations. I chose this source because it shows how easily medical and neurological conditions can be misinterpreted during police encounters. It also highlights how proper training and crisis-response models can reduce arrests, injuries, and escalation. This strongly supports my project’s goal of promoting medical awareness, de-escalation, and safer outcomes for vulnerable individuals.
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12. “Comparing Outcomes of Major Models of Police Responses to Mental Health Emergencies” - Steadman et al.

This study compares different police crisis-response models used when officers encounter people experiencing mental health emergencies. I chose this source because it shows how certain response models especially those focused on de-escalation and medical awareness lead to safer outcomes with fewer arrests and injuries. It strongly supports my project’s message that when officers are trained to recognize medical and mental health crises, situations are more likely to end in care instead of criminalization.
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