Concussion Information for Teachers and School Staff
Whether parent, coach, teacher or other school-based professional, we share a common goal: to return a student with a concussion back to the classroom as safely and as quickly as possible.
A child’s primary “job” or responsibility is to attend school and learn. Unfortunately, academic challenges are common after a student sustains a concussion. Although not every concussed child plays sports, every child is a student and the initial focus after concussion should be a return to school before return to sports.
The following resources are designed for school-based professionals such as school administrators, guidance counselors, nurses, school psychologists, school resource officers and teachers, to support getting children back to learning after a concussion.
- Read about state laws governing “return to play" for students with concussion
- Find out how to manage a concussion at school
- Learn about how concussion affects children at different grade levels
- Get information about adapting the classroom for children with concussion
- Watch the video below for FAQs about school re-entry after a concussion
Increase your concussion knowledge
Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, induced by biomechanical forces, caused by a blow or jolt to the head or body. It temporarily disrupts the normal functioning of the brain. Concussion is not a structural injury, so standard radiological tests are often normal.
Most people recover completely from a concussion in days or weeks, but symptoms can last much longer. Over-exertion, re-injury and academic or emotional stress can aggravate symptoms and prolong recovery.
Allowing the student to re-enter academics in a graded and monitored fashion is ideal in minimizing these stressors. A student who has comorbidities prior to their concussion, such as learning disorders or migraine headaches, often has a slower recovery period.
At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we use a five-step process called “Return to Learn” to manage a concussed student’s return to school. Information in this section is broken down by a child’s needs from the school generally, in the classroom specifically, and by their developmental stage.
Watch the following video for answers to frequently asked questions about the "Return to Learn" plan.