Concussion Program

Our pediatric concussion experts thoroughly assess your child to determine if a concussion has occurred, evaluate cognitive function, and let you know when your child can return to normal activities.  Allowing your child to fully recover from a concussion is essential for preventing other complications down the road. Your child will benefit from:

• Our Team Approach: Our multidisciplinary teams of pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, sports medicine doctors, intensive care physicians, neuro-ophthalmologists, neuroradiologists, and neuropsychologists assess and monitor your child's symptoms and function. We will match your child to the most appropriate experts based on his or her age and symptoms.
• Comprehensive Evaluation: We will perform a physical exam and assess your child's cognitive function through tests of attention, memory, vision, reaction time, and other mental abilities. In some cases, we perform neuro-imaging such as MRI. 
• A Roadmap to Recovery: Your child will receive a customized recovery schedule, recommending a period of rest and reduced activity followed by a gradual return to physical and mental activities, with the goal of a full return to regular levels of schoolwork and sports when your child has fully recovered.  We use a series of cognitive, balance, and neuropsychological tests to help determine when your child is ready to return to play and school.
• Parents are Part of Our Team:  You know your child better than anyone. As parents, you are vital members of our team. We will ask you to let us know if your child experiences any sleep problems or headaches, is having trouble concentrating in school, or seems anxious, irritable, or out of sorts. That kind of information is helpful to us in assessing your child's recovery from a concussion.
• Expertise in Post-Concussive Syndrome: While most children recover fully from a concussion after resting and refraining from activities for a recommended period of time, some continue to experience lingering symptoms such as headaches and/or dizziness for several weeks or even months after the injury. Our specialists have expertise in such post-concussion syndrome and may provide cognitive rehabilitation for these patients.