Return to Learn Following Concussion

Concussion ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Brian Hainline ◽  
Lindsey J. Gurin ◽  
Daniel M. Torres

Students who sustain a concussion may develop several symptoms that interfere with returning to school. Clinicians, students, parents, and teachers should all be part of a transparent return-to-learn plan that helps individuals navigate their recovery process. Most individuals can return to school with an informal, individualized management plan in place, but more formal plans should be developed for students with prolonged difficulties. Plans for such students are protected through the American with Disabilities Education Act. Those who have difficulty returning to school following concussion should also be re-evaluated medically to rule out comorbid or emerging neuropsychiatric conditions.

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S91-S92
Author(s):  
J. St.Onge ◽  
E. Karreman ◽  
M. McCarron ◽  
L. Harasen ◽  
C. Ames

Introduction: Children with concussions presenting to emergency departments often receive very different recommendations for how to recover. In addition, there are no instructions for teachers to how children should return to learn and play after a concussion. Therefore, some children take too long to return to learn and play at school while others return too soon, thereby risking long-term problems because their brain injury is not fully healed. The purpose of this project is to determine the impact of a new integrated, standardized approach aimed to help a concussed child recover faster and whether the recovery experience for all involved has improved. Methods: Structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents of children treated for concussion at the Emergency Department of Pasqua Hospital in Regina, SK, four of whom received care after a change in practice whereby parents were provided with a return-to-school protocol form prior to discharge. Data were analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis approach using NVivo 12 software. Results: Three main categories were noted in the data: Parental response to the child's concussion, satisfaction with health services, and the communication amongst parents, physicians, and teachers. It was with regard to the last theme in particular that the impact of the return to school protocol was noted, helping to at least indirectly address the issue of the parent as the “middleman” in the communication triad. Most parents whose children received care prior to the introduction of the protocol suggested that providing written information at discharge to guide parents through the concussion recovery process would be helpful. Conclusion: Our initial results show a positive impact in regards to the process of children returning to learn and play after a concussion. Specifically, the increased communication between physician, teacher, and parent seems to benefit and improve the child's recovery process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-431
Author(s):  
Joline E. Brandenburg ◽  
Lainie K. Holman ◽  
Susan D. Apkon ◽  
Amy J. Houtrow ◽  
Robert Rinaldi ◽  
...  

Over 80% of the children in the world have had their education impacted by COVID-19. For children with disabilities who receive special education services, access to in-person education and other resources at school is particularly important. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for students to attend school in person, without specifics for how children with disabilities can safely return to school. To appropriately plan and accommodate children with disabilities we must prioritize safety, allow for adherence to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and preserve essential school staff. The less cumbersome default of confining students with disabilities to home is not acceptable. We provide an outline describing why Individual Education Plans and 504 plans are important, how they are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recommendations for measures to help with safe return to school for children with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Brenda K. Gorman

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are obligated to judiciously select and administer appropriate assessments without inherent cultural or linguistic bias (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], 2004). Nevertheless, clinicians continue to struggle with appropriate assessment practices for bilingual children, and diagnostic decisions are too often based on standardized tests that were normed predominately on monolingual English speakers (Caesar & Kohler, 2007). Dynamic assessment is intended to be a valid and unbiased approach for ascertaining what a child knows and can do, yet many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) struggle in knowing what and how to assess within this paradigm. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present a clinical scenario and summarize extant research on effective dynamic language assessment practices, with a focus on specific language tasks and procedures, in order to foster SLPs' confidence in their use of dynamic assessment with bilingual children.


2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Etscheidt

The author examines the controversy surrounding the discipline provisions of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and suggests that the provisions may serve to encourage systemic reform capable of dramatically impacting the educational and postschool careers of students with emotional or behavioral disorders. The IDEA discipline provisions may assist in curbing traditional exclusionary practices and in developing alternatives to suspension and expulsion. Thus, they may fortify a pedagogically sound and efficacious approach to addressing problem behavior, enhance teacher effectiveness, and improve the schools’ accountability for all students. Such reform is capable of reconciling the competing goals of educational equity and excellence.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lytje

This study explores how Danish students experience returning to school following parental bereavement. Eighteen focus group interviews with 39 participants aged 9 to 17 years were conducted. All participants had experienced the loss of a primary caregiver. Data collection was divided into two phases. In Phase I, 22 participants from four grief groups were interviewed 4 times over the course of a year. During Phase II, confirmatory focus groups were undertaken with the 17 participants. This article explores findings related to the four themes of initial school response, long-term support, challenges within the class, and academic challenges. The study found that (a) students struggle to reconnect with classmates following the return to school and often feel alone, (b) schools fail to have guidelines in place for what they are allowed to do if becoming sad the class, and (c) schools seem to forget their loss as time passes.


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