Students with concussions, particularly those who have suffered multiple concussions, often have trouble retaining new information and retrieving information when needed, such as when taking a test or answering a question in class.
When a child has recovered enough from a concussion to return to the classroom, parents should not only arm a child with post-concussive strategies [1] for the classroom, but to do everything possible to make sure his or her teachers make academic accommodations for memory problems.
Here's a Top Ten list of cognitive strategies your child's teacher should consider employing:
One more thing: Provide the student preferential seating, closest to the site of instruction and when possible, away from doors and windows.
Students with a concussion may have two kinds of difficulty with memory:
1. Memory Encoding (difficulty retaining information): having difficulty remembering names, locations, directions, schedule and assignments.
Ways to help:
2. Memory retrieval (difficulty with retrieval of information when needed).
Ways to help:
Source: The Lawrenceville School
Updated May 11, 2015
Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/3319
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/academic/post-concussion-strategies-for-the-classroom
[3] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/parents-critical-participants-in-recognition-treatment-recovery-concussion
[4] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/return-to-play/concussion-return-to-play-step-by-step-approach-recommended
[5] https://mail.momsteam.com/post-concussion/more-post-concussion-help-students-in-classroom-needed
[6] https://mail.momsteam.com/5-7/study-confirms-adverse-effect-concussion-academic-learning-performance-children-teens
[7] https://mail.momsteam.com/academic-accommodations/ensure-successful-return-to-classroom-after-concussion--says-pediatrics-group
[8] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/neuropsychologist-should-help-plan-academic-accommodations-after-concussion