Concussions Suffered in High School Sports Create Serious Health and Academic Problems for Students, Witnesses Tell House Panel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Student athletes’ academic performance in school suffers as a result of concussions, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, conducted at the behest of U.S. Rep. George Miller, chair of the Committee, and other bipartisan lawmakers, found that concussions in high school athletes are widely unreported and underappreciated.
Dr. Linda Kohn, Director of Health Care Issues at GAO testified that the available data “may be underestimates of the overall national occurrence of concussion in high school sports.”
“It is clear we need to put more focus on the ‘student’ part of the student athlete. The pressure to play is overriding medical concerns and students’ academic achievement,” said Miller. “A concussion doesn’t have to mean the end of a student’s athletic career, but without the appropriate management and treatment, it could have serious implications. We need to do more to increase awareness for parents, teachers, coaches and students on the effect of concussions – to ensure success both in the classroom and on the field.”
Concussions account for 10 percent of all injuries sustained by high school athletes. Studies show girls are more susceptible to concussions. Incidence rates in girls’ soccer ranks second only to football. In basketball, girls appear to sustain concussions at three times the rate of male basketball players.
Witnesses testified about the effect concussions have on student achievement.
“There are significant threats to the child and adolescent as a result of an injury to the developing brain from concussion. The effects of a concussion are quite significant and potentially wide ranging, with an adverse impact on the student-athlete’s ability to think and learn and his or her social and emotional functioning,” said Dr. Gerard A. Gioia, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at the Children’s National Medical Center.
Gioia also reported that in a recent study, over 80 percent of students who had suffered concussions reported “a significant worsening of symptoms over the first four weeks as they attempted school learning activities.”
Michelle Pelton, a former student athlete from Fall River, Massachusetts, suffers from the cumulative effects of the concussions she sustained during her adolescence, five of which occurred while participating in softball and basketball at her school. Pelton retired from sports and sought treatment. She graduated from high school but lost a college scholarship.
“I cannot even begin to explain the daily struggle my life has become and everything I have lost because of my concussions. No one can see my injury but it’s there. I know I have learned to overcome and compensated for my injuries because I am so determined to keep as many of my dreams in my life as possible, but not without a tremendous price,” said Pelton. “Every day I endure memory loss, lack of concentration, depression, slow processing speed and cognitive effects that makes my everyday life a battle.”
Michael Monacelli, Director of Athletics at Caledonia-Mumford Central School in Caledonia, New York, implemented a successful concussion management program to help reduce injury risks after learning of the implications of concussions on student learning.
“We are in a comfort zone with concussion management in our district. We have full confidence in the system. Most assuredly as coaches, we do not want to see these injuries,” said Monacelli. “But we know that now the concussed student can be properly diagnosed and managed. The student-athlete will get better and will play again.”
Only four states, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Virginia, have laws or regulations regarding concussion management in high schools. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act (H.R. 1347) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish management guidelines for student athletes.
View witness testimony
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