If your child suffers from a concussion, you may be wondering when he or she can return to school. You can promote recovery and prevent ongoing symptoms by following a "return to learn" plan as discussed in this video by CHOP concussion experts, Matthew Grady, MD, and Christina Master, MD.
Transcript
Q&A About Return-to-Learn Plan After a Concussion
Parent: What is the Return-to-Learn plan?
Matthew Grady, MD: So the Return-to-Learn plan was developed specifically with the idea that students need to go back to school. Most of the concepts in the sports world are return to play, and we recognize that return to learn is more important for our student athletes. As such, the plan was developed to give a slow, gradual return to school activities. The plan is outlined on our website. It's designed to walk someone through step by step, gradually increasing their cognitive activity. We hope if they follow this plan, the recovery will be smooth and faster than if they try to do too much too soon.
Christina L. Master, MD: What's important to look for in terms of recovery is that they're back to full cognitive workload, so full day school, full day workload, all the homework and the testing, and also caught up with everything so that they're not behind.
Matthew Grady, MD: In individuals who do no school work and then try to jump back into school without taking a step-wise approach, oftentimes they find that they're overwhelmed with school and their symptoms get worse. This process is designed to minimize the chance of that happening.
Topics Covered: Concussion
Related Centers and Programs: Minds Matter Concussion Program