Because athletes below age 13 report symptoms different from adults, an exam by a health care professional should include input not only from the athlete but from their parents, and possibly teachers and school personnel.
Experts recommend that, in assessing concussion for children aged 5-12 years, children and their parents should be asked to complete the following symptom checklists
Child - Symptom Evaluation
| CHILD REPORT | Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Often |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. I have trouble paying attention | ||||
| 2. I get distracted easily | ||||
| 3. I have a hard time concentrating | ||||
| 4. I have problems remembering what people tell me | ||||
| 5, I have problems following directions | ||||
| 6. I daydream too much | ||||
| 7. I get confused | ||||
| 8. I forget things | ||||
| 9. I have problems finishing things | ||||
| 10. I have trouble figuring things out | ||||
| 11. It's hard for me to learn new things | ||||
| 12. I have headaches | ||||
| 13, I feel dizzy | ||||
| 14. I feel like the room is spinning | ||||
| 15. I feel like I'm going to faint | ||||
| 16. Things are blurry when I look at them | ||||
| 17. I see double | ||||
| 18. I feel sick to my stomach | ||||
| 19. I get tired a lot | ||||
| 20. I get tired easily | ||||
| 21. Difficulty remembering | ||||
| 22. Visual problems |
Parent - Symptom Evaluation
| Parent report | Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Often |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The child: | ||||
| 1. has trouble sustaining attention | ||||
| 2. is easily distracted | ||||
| 3. has difficulty concentrating | ||||
| 4. has problems remembering what he/she is told | ||||
| 5. has difficulty following directions | ||||
| 6. tends to daydream | ||||
| 7. gets confused | ||||
| 8. is forgetful | ||||
| 9. has difficulty completing tasks | ||||
| 10. has poor problem solving skills | ||||
| 11. has problems learning | ||||
| 12. has headaches | ||||
| 13. feels dizzy | ||||
| 14. has a feeling the room is spinning | ||||
| 15. feels faint | ||||
| 16. has blurred vision | ||||
| 17. has double vision | ||||
| 18. experiences nausea | ||||
| 19. gets tired a lot | ||||
| 20. gets tired easily |
Trust your instincts
- Don't be afraid to ask your child how he is feeling, or take him to his pediatrician or a specialist if you suspect something is wrong, or you notice a change in his/her personality (he is solemn or unusually subdued), appetite (eating more or less than usual), sleep patterns, or that he is, for lack of a better word, "off." Remember: you know your child better than anyone. Because there is a lot medical science does not know about concussions, a common sense approach makes - in a word - sense.
- While parents shouldn't attempt to diagnose concussions - that's the job for physicians trained to manage head trauma - that doesn't excuse moms and dads from the important job of studying children for signs and asking them about symptoms thney may be experiencing that could indicate they have suffered a concussion.
Simple tests parents can give at home
There are series of simple tests that can be given at home:
- short-term memory: A common concussion symptom is a problem with short-term memory, which can be easily tested by a parent posing a series of questions about recent events, or giving a child a list of unrelated words such as objects or colors and then asking the child to repeat the list back immediately and again in three or four minutes.
- balance: poor balance is common among concussed athletes. Can your child stand firm with their feet together, in heel-to-toe tandem position, and on one foot, eyes open and then closed; with hands on hips, eyes open and then closed?
- open-ended questions about how he is feeling: It's a question that occurs so naturally to a parent that it hardly needs to be recommended, but, in the case of concussion, answers to questions like "'Are you having trouble with memory? Have you noticed issues with concentration? Is your homework taking longer? Is doing homework causing a headache that it wouldn't normally? When you study for longer periods, does the headache get worse?'" may suggest that there is either no need for further evaluation (because the child sails through the evaluation without a problem) or raise serious concern (a question about yesterday's game, for instance, stumps your child, and they struggle to keep their balance with eyes closed). Experts recommend that a child should be seen by a concussion specialist if he is trying as hard as he can yet struggles to complete memory or or balance tests.
Parents have the ability to observe their child more than anyone else and can spot changes. Any sluggishness, continued headache, or change in behavior or affect can be concussion symptoms, especially if irritability or difficulty in concentrating are present. Many times the parent cannot identify a specific symptom, but should nevertheless alert someone that the athlete is "not him or herself."