SPORT-RELATED CONCUSSION & MILD BRAIN INJURY
One of the most common ways children and adolescents get concussions is through sports injuries.
A recent review estimated that up to 3.8 million recreation- and sports-related concussions occur each year in the United States.
In a sport-rich country like South Africa, the stats could be proportionally similar.
A concussion (and especially repeated or undetected concussions) or a mild brain injury could impact a learner's long-term academic performance when there is a measurable decline in a student's cognitive skills like, for example, memory, processing speed or attention.
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Often, the long-term effects of weakened cognitive skills are only truly comprehended years after the concussion(s). And sadly, often parents and learners don't connect the concussion(s) with the learner's learning frustrations as these struggles and frustrations slowly but surely build up over time (or more accurately, sporting seasons).
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The good news is that weak cognitive skills can be identified and strengthened.
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Whether you're in the classroom or on the sports field, your brain fitness - how your brain processes and retains information - is just as important as body fitness is.
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Our premium coaching programs for concussions and mild brain injuries are intense, fun, and extremely effective to strengthen the underlying brain skills you rely on every day to process and retain information, think on your feet, concentrate, make decisions, follow instructions, and be on top of your game.
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So what's a parent to do?
There's two options:
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1. You suspect a concussion, your child has recently been diagnosed with a concussion or mild brain injury, or has had a concussion(s) or mild brain injury in the past
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Schedule your child's cognitive assessment as soon as possible to pinpoint any possible cognitive weaknesses that needs to be addressed and strengthened.
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2. Your child regularly takes part in a contact sport or any type of sport likely to lead to a hard (or repeated) bump or fall
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It is advisable to schedule a cognitive assessment for your child at the start and end of each sporting season, so that any weak ( or weakening of) cognitive skills can be identified and addressed immediately.
