Students With Concussion Need to Take Timeout from School

Countless school kids suffer concussions and the key to recovery is physical and mental rest. A team of pediatrics has come up with new guidelines for allowing children back to school after concussion.

Any type of head injury is potentially serious and devastating. The most common such injury is concussion. In some concussed students the symptoms may linger for some time and can trigger long term academic and social difficulties. If not caught in time the problem can impact the student's entire academic career.

A latest clinical report offers important advice to pediatricians for treating children and adolescents with concussion.

According to the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children suffering from concussion should take a break from the classrooms and the athletic field.

"Students appear physically normal after a concussion, so it may be difficult for teachers and administrators to understand the extent of the child's injuries and recognize the potential need for academic adjustments," Mark Halstead, MD, FAAP, a lead author of the clinical report said in a statement. "But we know that children who've had a concussion may have trouble learning new material and remembering what they've learned, and returning to academics may worsen concussion symptoms."

According to the study researchers, school-going children generally take three weeks to recover from concussion. But if the symptoms are severe, the student may need to stay home from school. The parents might consider sending their concussed kids to school with some adjustments, only if the symptoms are mild and tolerable. But those with severe and prolonged symptoms, lasting for more than 3 weeks, require a formalized academic accommodation.

The AAP report stresses on a collaborative effort to help a concussed student recover faster after the event. This joint effort is needed from the student's pediatrician, family members and other individuals at the student's school who are responsible for academic schedule as well as physical activities.

With the help of a checklist, it gets easier to evaluate the severity of symptoms in a concussed student.

A recent study conducted by the emergency room physicians at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center claims that since 2002-2011, ER visits of concussed children have soared by 92 percent. The study also revealed that the number of children and teens admitted to the hospital for concussion also increased.  

Dr. Halstead concluded saying, "Every concussion is unique and symptoms will vary from student to student, so managing a student's return to the classroom will require an individualized approach.  The goal is to minimize disruptions to the student's life and return the student to school as soon as possible, and as symptoms improve, to increase the student's social, mental and physical activities."