Individuals with acquired brain injuries experience changes to communication and cognition that compromise their ability to return to pre-morbid life activities. A.H.E.A.D. is an 8-week psychoeducational program for individuals with brain injury that focuses on learning strategies related to memory, attention, self-regulation/anger management, and communication. The UWEC SLHS department facilitated the 8-week program in the spring of 2025 but identified several concerns with the program. Along with five individuals with brain injuries, we implemented a co-design and co-production methodology to refine and redesign materials for the program, reducing overly text-heavy and overwhelming content. This included over ten hours of co-design thus far, with more sessions planned this spring. This aligns with best practices in development and implementation of interventions in speech-language pathology and related disciplines. All PowerPoint slides have been redesigned, reducing problematic language, excess text on slides, redundancies, reducing amount of content and fostering better discussions, rather than information dumping. A big part of co-design is coordinating interactions to elicit expertise from individuals with brain injuries, including challenges with communication that best supports participation.
