Concussions are serious brain injuries caused by a blow to the head. They occur when a person falls, or if a hard object hits their head.
This is why they’re quite common among school-going children—especially during Physical Education (PE) class. In fact, they account for 10% of all athletic injuries in high school.
The injury disrupts the functioning of the brain and affects mental stamina. So children may have slower responses and short-term memory as a result.
There are certain signs that tell you if someone has sustained a concussion. Let’s go through them individually and discuss the possible course of action that can be taken.
Common Symptoms
If a student appears dazed or confused about certain events, repeats questions, or answers them slowly, you’re probably dealing with a concussion. The child may not even recall what happened prior to or following the event, as it’s possible for them to briefly lose consciousness.
The students may report headaches or nausea, or difficulty in concentrating and remembering. They may also feel foggy or sluggish.
If any of these symptoms hold true, your first course of action should be to send the student to your school’s medical professional for diagnosis. Once confirmed, send them for treatment right away. You can’t afford any delays, as concussions worsen with time.
How can You Help?
You can even get trained to recognize and confirm signs of concussions to get your students the treatment they need right away. Eliminating steps always helps, especially in cases where your school’s medical professional is on leave, or it doesn’t even have one.
Post-Concussion Care
You can play your part in helping your students recover by coordinating with their parents and doctors to come up with effective plans to accommodate their recovery. This includes speech therapy, curriculum changes, behavioural strategies and environmental adaptations. Activities that require too much focus should be eliminated, because they lead to undue stress on the recovering brain.
You should allow them the breaks they need to rest, and cut down on their school hours. Give them extra time to finish their assignments and help them navigate their workload whenever they need it.
You made also need to send them to therapy to get through this time, because it can get quite frustrating to have so much trouble carrying out their day-to-day tasks.
You can reach out to us at our office in British Columbia and get first aid training to help students with any injuries. Swift emergency response can often mean the difference between life and death!
