By Paul Tenorio
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
As the handling of concussions
and head injuries has moved to the
forefront in the NFL this year, Congress
now is seeking to step in with
legislation aimed at reducing the
frequency of those injuries in youth and
high school sports. In a
news conference Tuesday on Capitol Hill,
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Sen.
Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) outlined the
Concussion Treatment and Care Tools
(ConTACT) Act, which aims to establish
guidelines in schools for the treatment
and diagnosis of concussions and
emphasizes the importance of base-line
diagnostic testing at the youth levels
before athletes participate in contact
sports.
Washington Post
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School Accommodations
for Athletes with
Post-concussion Syndrome
Student athletes
diagnosed with Post-concussion Syndrome
often require special accommodations in
their educational programs. Many
typically developing children experience
significant difficulty after being
injured on the field of play. It
is well recognized that when students
exhibit lingering fatigue, head aches,
short-term memory loss, and other
symptoms related to their concussion
that they are at high risk for falling
behind their peers. Parents are
urged to notify the school nurse and
their child's teachers if a child
sustains a serious concussion. Michael Sefton, Ph.D.
Massachusetts
Brain Injury Association
The Massachusetts Brain Injury
Association is located in Westborough,
MA. This outstanding organization
offers education and support to families
and individuals in need of education and
support in the area of brain injury.
They have an outstanding library and
organized material in all areas of
acquired brain injury. The MBIA
Think A-Head program reaches
elementary and middle school children
with messages designed to promote brain
injury awareness and prevention.
At the high school level, the Think
A-Head program focuses on risk-taking
behavior. It addresses drinking
and driving and other high risk
activity. Contact the MBIA at
www.biama.org or by telephone at
800-242-0030.
Athletes brains studied at Massachusetts
General Hospital
CNN reported that there was "stunning" evidence of chronic
injury to the autopsied brains of former NFL athletes whose
families agreed to allow them to be studied after death.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the term given to the
condition effecting scores of former athletes who say they
suffer from the cumulative impact of cerebral concussion.
Former N.E. Patriot's linebacker Ted Johnson suffers from memory
loss, depression, fatigue, and other chronic symptoms that he
attributes to the two concussion he received in 2002 while a NFL
player. The brain damage has been found in 6 of the 6
brains studied so far. Johnson has donated his brain to
the study upon his death.
CNN article link
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