Parent Advocate, Tracey Mayer will be offering up her writings to The Concussion Blog as a resource to the readers, especially the parents out there. As time allows she will be submitting posts for you to read. I truly hope that everyone gets a chance to read about concussions from yet another perspective. Thank you Tracey!
I recently met with one of the Vice Principals at Drew’s high school for a non-concussion related matter. During our conversation, the topic of concussions came up because he is aware of what Drew has gone through, and he was asking how he is doing. He told me about two female athletes who both suffered fairly significant concussions recently. He said they were really struggling academically, which was such a perfect opportunity for me to enlighten him about the policies put in place in Prince William County, Virginia. I sent these policies to the Superintendent of our school board just after I received them a couple of months ago, but did not have the right opportunity to present it to our school, as I have to be careful about protocol.
I explained that there is a huge void in most schools when it comes to an academic recovery plan after a student sustains a concussion. He agreed. I told him that, although many teachers are sympathetic, they don’t know what to do to help the students, particularly because every situation is unique. He liked the idea of considering concussion education as a topic for continuing education classes, which would allow the teachers to fully understand the ramifications of concussions and their critical role in the recovery process.
Our high school is currently ranked #6 in the state academically. I said that we should be the leaders in our area by mimicking the policies that are in place in Virginia, and that I was certain if we took the lead the other schools in this area would follow. He was very responsive to my suggestions, and welcomed all of the information I sent him, which included the Virginia policies, info from the CDC, documents that outline the policies and procedures being followed by Dustin and his school district, and various published articles on concussions. He thanked me for the volume of information, and promised me he would address this subject at the next administrative meeting. You can bet I will make sure he does!
This is a huge step, and I’m super pumped to get something in place here. I will keep you posted!
The Concussion Blog 
Tracey, I am A Fairfax County parent of a son who has suffered now with post-concussion symptoms for the better part of 16 months. Dealing with the school administration has been an absolute nightmare. The lack of understanding has been worse than anyone can imagine. Let’s team our counties together and address this for all those who will suffer in the future as it is too late to change anything for my son.
Terri,
Suggest you read the article that my wife, Flo, and I recently wrote re Sport-Related Concussions. A portion of the article discusses essential return to school and socialization issues.
The link for the NASP published article is found on this ConcussionBlog website under Management. A brief summary of the article may be found below.
Research-Based Practice
Sport-Related Concussions
By Don Brady, Phd, PsyD, NCSP and Flo Brady, BSW
June 2011
Sport-related concussions (SRC) are not limited to specific age ranges, professional athletes, or gender. The primary focus of much of SRC research pertains to the assessment, management, and return to play (RTP) of the concussed athlete. This article will highlight some major issues of SRC along with some controversies that presently exist within the field. Readers are encouraged to discuss specific SRC concerns with qualified and knowledgeable healthcare providers who are familiar with the person suffering from a concussion.