Educating Children on Concussion Symptoms: What to Watch For
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Nearly 7% of children will experience a concussion, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As students are into their fall sports seasons or playing on the playground, it’s important to teach them about this type of brain injury and how to recognize the symptoms in themselves and others.
Recognizing the symptoms of concussions
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a fall, blow to the head or rapid movement. When a child is rocked suddenly, their brain moves back and forth against their skull, causing an injury.
About half of concussions are related to sports, according to Harvard Health. Football, soccer, hockey, lacrosse and basketball are some of the sports with the highest number of concussions, according to the CDC. Boys are more likely to get concussions than girls.
While concussions are typically mild, they need to be taken seriously. The child needs to stop playing immediately for an assessment and recovery. Getting multiple concussions in a short amount of time can cause long-term brain damage, according to Harvard Health.
Because of the potential for a long-term injury, it’s important for children and teens to know what a concussion is and what to do. If your child experiences a fall or hit to the head or if they see a peer experience one, instruct them to tell an adult and watch out for the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light and/or noise
- Feeling foggy or dazed
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Vertigo or loss of balance
- Irritability or anxiety
- Inability to focus or follow events in real time
These symptoms may not always appear immediately, which is why it’s important to take time to rest after the incident even if they seem healthy, according to the CDC.
However, if the child has any of the following symptoms, which are signs of a more severe injury, they should seek immediate medical treatment:
- Different sized pupils
- Loss of consciousness
- Difficulty staying awake
- Repeated vomiting
- Loss of memory
- Seizures or shaking
- Slurred speech
- No improvement in symptoms
Follow recovery guidance from their primary care provider.
Concussion prevention
Talk to your child about these symptoms regardless of whether they play sports. Kids can fall while on a playground or by accident. Here are a few things parents can do to educate their kids about concussions:
Create a concussion plan: Work with your child to create a list of symptoms and an action plan for them to keep in their backpack or in their phone. Children should know who to contact, whether a teacher or coach, and have emergency contact information readily available.
Clear safety rules: When children are playing, especially climbing in play structures or trees or riding bikes or skateboards, they should have clear safely rules. In sports, they should have coaches who teach proper skills and techniques and know how important it is to follow safety rules and protocols.
Helmets and equipment: Children should have updated safety equipment, especially helmets, for bike rides and sports that require helmets and wear them correctly. Make sure your child knows how to operate their equipment when they are old enough. Helmets don’t completely prevent concussions, but they can reduce the severity and prevent other head injuries.
Discuss the importance of recovery: Some teens who are in competitive sports may want to brush off the injury, but parents should remind them that it’s better to sit out a game or two now rather than lose their entire season, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Never ignore a head injury: The bottom line is children and teens should never ignore head injuries. It’s better to be safe than left with a long-term brain injury.
Image: Getty Images
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