More than 50,000 children per year are treated hospitals for traumatic brain injury in New York State alone. As an attorney who deals with traumatic brain injury in clients as a result of car crashes, truck accidents and work place accident I am very happy to see that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association now provides recommendations for concussion management.
Particularly with kids, if a concussion is not healed and a second concussion occurs the second injury can be much greater and cause a difficult recovery. A problem is that brain injuries can be hard to diagnose, and many primary doctors and others do not recognize these serious injuries. The brain is a complex organ and subtle changes can occur where there are specific deficits in attention, behavior and other characteristics even though a child may be doing reasonably well in school.
A qualified neuropsychologist or pediatric neuropsychologist can identify specific deficits so they can be addressed.
School sports provide many benefit to kids and help develop positive attributes like discipline , perseverance and cooperation. They should not be avoided . We can reduce second concussion complications by following the new guidelines. See the Buffalo News.
