By Bryse Thornwell ’16

Freshman Haley Allen blocked a girl’s pass on the lacrosse field and received a blow to the head during a Saturday tournament. Senior Lauren Alexander was supervising a group of kids at work when she collided with a man playing basketball nearby and slammed her head on the floor. Sophomore Alhaji Turay was hit in the face with a soccer ball during a school game in September. After experiencing various symptoms, Allen, Alexander and Turay joined the 40 students that have been diagnosed with a concussion at Sherwood this school year alone.

A concussion, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), is “a brain injury, caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, that changes the way the brain usually works.” The most common symptoms include fatigue and headaches, weakness, numbness, decreased coordination, nausea, seizures, memory difficulties or even loss of consciousness.

Concussion counts have steadily increased over the past couple of years. “More awareness and therefore more recognition has brought the number of concussions up significantly,” said Dr. Christopher G. Vaughan, a pediatric neuropsychologist who has treated Sherwood students at Children’s National Hospital.

Sherwood documented 108 concussions last year and on average sees four to six “head bumps” to the health room daily. “I think it’s mostly due to our documentation and more awareness of the seriousness of the injury. Before we weren’t required to document concussions to the county; now we are,” said school nurse Jennifer Jones.

Students suffering from a concussion follow the “Return to Learn” protocol. “We give them a little bit of work and wait until they are almost symptom-free. If symptoms don’t decrease, we lessen the workload, but if they do decrease, we add more work until they are back at the normal classroom level,” added Jones.

The list of restrictions described on the Acute Concussion Evaluation document, sent by the doctor, includes a list of accommodations that last as long as symptoms persist. Common accommodations include multiple rest breaks, reduced homework and/or classwork, extended due dates, modified testing and a pass to the health room should symptoms worsen. Accommodations could even result in a more intensive 504 Plan which provides disability accommodations for concussions over a long period of time.

In order to accommodate students diagnosed with a concussion, the counselors, nurse and administrators all meet to gather more information and discuss the best course of action. “I provide the medical background needed, while the administrators look at coursework … Ultimately we all agree on priorities for the student,” stated Jones.

Despite the current protocol in place, concussed students seem to have different opinions about how well they felt they were accommodated. Allen stated that all of her teachers were understanding of her condition, and she did not feel rushed or overwhelmed once she was fully healed. Turay seemed to find himself in the middle where most of his teachers were helpful, but he found he had to find out and learn many things on his own. Alexander found that some teachers were more helpful than others in her recovery process. “Teachers definitely forget sometimes that in addition to the work I have to make up in their class, I also have work to make up in four other classes,” said Alexander.

While Vaughan explains there is still a lot to learn, he stated the best treatment for concussions is “relaxation, hydration, and good sleep.”