Injuries are a part of life, but they are unexpected, and they can derail the plans you have carefully crafted. One common injury children of all ages can have is a concussion. According to the CDC’s HEADS UP program, millions of children have a concussion or brain injury each year. If your child got a concussion, it is normal to feel scared and unsure of what to expect. Once your child has received medical care, we can help support the healing process.
What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a mild brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Concussions happen more often to kids who play contact sports, but they can truly happen to anyone at any time.
Concussions range from mild to severe, with most falling on the mild end. Symptoms can be subtle and may last for days, weeks, or even longer. Some immediate symptoms include headache, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, confusion, or blurry vision.
How Do I Know if My Child Got a Concussion?
Concussions can be hard to recognize in young children, since they often cannot explain what they are feeling. Some signs to watch for include unbalanced walking, a dazed appearance, tiring easily, irritability, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, and excessive crying. If your child has any kind of head injury, make sure they see a medical professional right away.
How Can a Concussion Affect My Child Long-Term?
Concussion symptoms can last for days, weeks, months, or even years after the injury. They can affect a child’s executive functioning and cognitive abilities. Executive functioning covers many cognitive skills, like planning, motivation, memory, attention, and self-awareness. When kids struggle with executive functioning, school becomes much harder to navigate.
Suddenly, focusing on what the teacher is saying feels impossible. Managing a schedule feels overwhelming. Remembering to do chores becomes harder and harder. Since concussion symptoms are often “invisible,” others can mistake them for laziness or incompetence, which can leave a child feeling frustrated or embarrassed. You might notice your child losing interest in things they used to enjoy, or their grades starting to slip.
How We Can Help Your Child After a Concussion
This is where Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center can step in. Our trained professionals work explicitly on executive functioning skills. Our speech-language pathologists and learning specialists can support your child with restorative techniques, compensatory strategies, and adaptive approaches to help lessen the impact of a recent concussion. Beyond skilled intervention, we also give families the resources and support they need along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if my child got a concussion?
Have your child seen by a medical professional right away. Therapy and academic support come after your child has received medical care and been cleared by their doctor.
Can a concussion cause problems at school?
Yes. Concussions can affect attention, memory, planning, and energy, which can make school harder. These changes are easy to miss, so tell your child’s teacher what is going on.
When should I look for extra support?
If your child is struggling with focus, memory, organization, or schoolwork weeks after the injury, or their grades are slipping, an evaluation can show what kind of support will help.
How ETLC Can Help
If your child got a concussion recently and is having trouble with executive functioning skills, reach out to us. Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available.
Learn more about executive functioning support at ETLC or schedule a free consultation to talk about how we can help your child succeed.
You may also find these pages helpful:
About the Author
Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center. With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Sonia has dedicated her career to helping children overcome complex communication and academic challenges. She has advanced training and a special focus on treating dyslexia and childhood apraxia of speech, and she is passionate about providing families with a clear path to success.
0 Comments