Goal

Provide a timely evaluation specific to cognitive and psychological factors affected by concussion as it pertains to returning to baseline level of school and athletic activity.

Purpose

• Concussions are, in in their mildest form, a transient neurocognitive phenomenon that temporarily alters neurochemistry. Recovery in high school students is about 2-3 weeks with recovery more on the 3 week side with middle school kids. In some cases, recovery can be prolonged or contribute to more stress and problems than expected.
• Factors that contribute to longer and/or more problematic outcomes include: multiple concussions, level of stress and functioning prior to the concussion (family, emotional, behavioral, cognitive), severity of the concussion, and other social and psychological factors that may be interfering with timely recovery after the concussion.
• Recovery from concussion is typically decided when an individual returns to their ‘baseline’ with regards to symptoms, cognitive functioning, and neurological presentation. Oftentimes, symptoms and cognitive status are not “in agreement” during recovery from a concussion. This is why it is important to objectively assess cognitive functioning.
• Education provided specific to the nature of concussions, recovery expectations, and stress management strategies has been shown to reduce persisting complications from concussions and aid in recovery.

Clinic entry requirements

• Infancy to 21
• Has been diagnosed or suspected to have a concussion by medical provider who has already seen and evaluated the patient. The concussion occurred no later than 6 months ago (otherwise we will see in our Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic).
• Has been initially assessed by a medical professional qualified to assess concussions and determine return-to-play in the State of Missouri (e.g., PMR, PCP, LAT, sports physician).
• Exclusion criteria: A TBI severity of moderate or severe level [e.g., loss of consciousness was over 15 minutes. Memory loss spanned over 24 hours. CT or MRI revealed abnormal findings which were attributed to the concussion/TBI].
  • Moderate-severe TBIs will be seen in the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic (PNC).

Method

• Neuropsychologist is lead clinician
• Services provided include:
  • A single 4 hour (max) visit where a clinical interview, neuropsychological and psychological testing are conducted, in addition to immediate feedback to patient and family. Psychoeducation specific to concussion is a primary emphasis of this clinic.
  • A formal report will be mailed promptly thereafter.