Get Physician (MD/DO) Recommended School Accommodations Following Concussion

Classroom accommodations that may be appropriate include: preferential seating, reduction in written work, extended time on tests, voice recording of lessons, copies of notes, leaving classes early or late to avoid crowded hallways, allowing the student to wear sunglasses, permitting breaks in a quiet space such as a ...

Test Accommodations: Permit student's use of a calculator. Permit the student to utilize a dictionary and thesaurus in writing test responses. If two exams are scheduled on the same day, allow student to reschedule one for another day.

Modifications of duties such as not having to answer phones if speaking clearly is a problem, as long as those duties are not basic to the job. A place to be alone for quiet time away from the job. Rest breaks to prevent stimulus overload and fatigue. Job restructuring or part-time or modified work schedules.

When concussion symptoms have lessened and are tolerable for up to 30 to 45 minutes, a child should return to school. This will usually happen within a few days and certainly within the first week of the concussion. Prolonged absences from school following a concussion is discouraged.

Just 30 minutes of rest in the nurse's office or an appointed area can help lessen many students' symptoms. Special classroom seating to lessen distraction. Sitting up front or away from doors and windows can help those with attention problems and other concussion symptoms.

Focus on what the student does well and expand the curriculum to more challenging content as concussion symptoms subside. Adjust the student's schedule as needed to avoid fatigue: shorten day, time most challenging classes with time when student is most alert, allow for rest breaks, reduced course load.

After 24 hours of complete rest, these can be gradually re-introduced. It is unusual for children to need a long time off school following a minor head injury with concussion symptoms. It is not unreasonable for them to miss a day or two if they continue to feel unwell or their symptoms return during lessons.

Classroom accommodations that may be appropriate include: preferential seating, reduction in written work, extended time on tests, voice recording of lessons, copies of notes, leaving classes early or late to avoid crowded hallways, allowing the student to wear sunglasses, permitting breaks in a quiet space such as a ...