Managing concussion at the youth level

Most States have concussion management programs in place, but they focus on high school athletes. This has left some confusion for non athletes or younger students who suffer a concussion. There is nothing special about the management of concussion for athletes or non athletes. It is rest until symptom free with a graded return to activity. The majority of students recover in 7-10 days and do not require any school accommodations.

The challenge is in handling the outliers. What to do with the ones that don't get better. We know that girls take longer to heal than boys and that younger students take longer than older students. We do not know definitively why this is the case, but there is some speculation.  If any individual sustains a head impact and a concussion is suspected it should be evaluated by a qualified medical professional. If they are taking longer to heal then accommodations for school may be suggested. This can be in the form of half days, limited homework and testing, the use of a tutor or physical changes like lower light and decreased computer screen use. All of these can be put in place by the school, but should be overseen by the physician.

I don't think that anything different needs to be done to handle concussions across the board, but more education and policy development may be needed so that everyone understands what to do.

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