How to Spot Signs of a Concussion in Kids

How to Spot Signs of a Concussion in Kids

by | Oct 10, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Head injuries in children, especially children who play sports, can have long-lasting impacts. Knowing the signs of a concussion in kids will help you get the treatment your child needs to avoid serious complications.

Concussion Basics

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that can occur when a child experiences a sudden blow to the head. The impact causes the brain to jostle around the skull’s interior, damaging brain tissue and brain cells.
Although concussions during football get a lot of attention, these head injuries can also be caused by falls, collisions during other sports, bicycle accidents, and even minor car accidents. Particularly concerning is that having a concussion increases a child’s risk for having another one.

Immediate Warning Signs of Concussions in Kids

When your child hits his or her head, it’s natural to wonder if they’re okay. You may see your child jump up and keep playing, and you assume they aren’t injured. But you should monitor them closely for signs of a concussion because not all children will show immediate symptoms. In fact, according to the International Concussion Society, 90% of concussions that occur during sports don’t cause the person to black out or become unconscious.
“When in doubt, sit them out,” said Shane M. Miller, M.D., sports medicine physician and concussion expert. “If your child seems dazed, stunned, dizzy or is complaining of a headache, it’s safest for you or their coach to remove them from play immediately. The ‘tough it out’ mentality could prolong recovery and make them more susceptible to a more severe injury.”
Immediate symptoms of a concussion to look out for include:

  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Memory loss
  • Nausea
  • Severe headache
  • Vomiting

If any of these symptoms are present, stop your child from playing or participating in an activity. More than 50% of child athletes continue playing a sport after experiencing a concussion, often because they don’t realize they’ve had a concussion or they don’t think their symptoms are that serious. However, continuing to play can slow recovery, increase the chances of having another concussion and lead to long-term symptoms, such as a headache that lasts for months.

Delayed Symptoms

Concussion symptoms can appear a few hours and even days after a concussion. Some symptoms may show up as much as a week after a concussion.

Even if your child seems fine after a short time, watch out for the following signs and symptoms:

  • Changes in alertness, such as difficulty staying awake, becoming unusually tired or having trouble paying attention
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Emotional and behavioral changes, such as mood swings, irritability, a sudden change in your child’s personality and unexplained emotional outbursts.
  • Headaches, especially persistent headaches, and those that worsen over time
  • Losing consciousness
  • Memory problems
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Trouble with balance and coordination, for example, unsteady movements, clumsiness and stumbling

When to Take Your Child to the ER for a Concussion

Concussions are always serious, but in some cases, the injury requires immediate medical attention from specialists at the closest emergency room (ER). Signs that a visit to the ER is necessary include:

  • Prolonged confusion
  • Seizures
  • Vomiting repeatedly
  • Worsening symptoms

At the ER, health care providers will perform a detailed physical exam, looking for visible injuries and symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness.

The ER team will also take your child’s medical history and ask about the incident and any previous concussions. The providers may order a comprehensive neurological assessment to test your child’s cognitive function, coordination, reflexes and responsiveness. They may also send your child for an imaging test, such as a CT or MRI scan.

Creating a Long-Term Plan for Concussion Recovery

In general, concussions heal in a few weeks. However, children require more recovery time from a concussion than adults, so help your child be patient during this process. Remind them that not taking enough time to heal could result in a more severe injury, including another concussion. The more concussions a child endures, the higher the likelihood of long-term damage to the brain.

Your child’s pediatrician can work with you to develop a plan to treat your child’s concussion. This plan will include plenty of time to rest and recover.

Gradually, your child will be able to return to normal daily activities, including sports, but only after you get the all-clear from their pediatrician or sports medicine specialist.

“Concussion management is a team approach, but the care is individualized to the needs of each athlete,” Miller said. “Unfortunately, injuries occur during sports, but how you respond is critical. Early recognition and treatment, with a supportive family and coaches leads to better outcomes and a quicker return to play.”

If your child took a baseline concussion test before the injury occurred, the goal is for their test results to be back to baseline levels.

Even after your child gets back on the court or field, you should monitor them for symptoms mentioned above. Symptoms that don’t go away or reappear after your child starts playing again could be signs of post-concussive syndrome, a rare condition that can develop in children who have had more than one concussion.

Trust your instincts when it comes to your child’s health. If you suspect a concussion, call our expert team now at 469-515-7100. We provide specialized care to ensure your child’s well-being and quick recovery.

Hidden Signs of Dyslexia: Beyond Reading Challenges

Hidden Signs of Dyslexia: Beyond Reading Challenges

by | Oct 7, 2023 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Many people associate dyslexia with reading and writing problems. Although it is true that this learning disorder primarily affects reading and writing skills, children who have dyslexia may have other challenges parents and caregivers may miss. Knowing these less familiar signs of dyslexia can help you get your child the care they need early so they can succeed in school and in life.

Rhyming Words

Dyslexia causes problems with phonological processing, or the ability to hear, store, recall and make different speech sounds, according to the National Center on Improving Literacy. It also causes issues with a child’s working memory, the cognitive skill that allows them to remember and store information he or she has learned.

Children with dyslexia may not recognize that two words sound alike, or they may struggle to remember a word that rhymes with another word.

Mixing Up Letters

Children with dyslexia may confuse letters that look similar, such as:

  • “b” and “d”
  • “p” and “q”
  • “m” and “w”

This is sometimes called letter reversal, and the cause isn’t fully understood. Some children may have issues processing visual information, leading to the confusion of letters that look alike. Letter reversal can impact a child’s reading skills as well as their ability to write and spell.

Older children may confuse these letters when writing, and as a result, many people think writing backward is a sign their child has dyslexia. However, it is not uncommon for children to write letters backward as they are learning to write, even if they do not have dyslexia. 

Remembering Word or Event Order

The same challenges with working memory that can make it hard to rhyme words can also lead to difficulty remembering the steps involved in a task. Whether the task is tying shoes or doing a chore, you might see a child struggle to complete the task, do things out of order or skip steps altogether. A child with poor working memory may also have trouble learning math.

Confusing Directions

People with dyslexia may have problems with spatial reasoning, or the ability to tell left from right or up from down. All of us mix up our lefts and rights on occasion, but we can often sort it out quickly. Children with dyslexia have a consistently hard time doing so.

Common Signs of Dyslexia

As with any symptom, parents and caregivers shouldn’t jump to conclusions if their child shows these less familiar signs of dyslexia. Getting your child evaluated will allow a dyslexia expert to consider those symptoms in context with other, more common symptoms of dyslexia, which can include issues with:

  • Learning letters and the sounds they make
  • Learning to read and speak
  • Pronouncing words properly or sounding out unfamiliar words
  • Reading aloud
  • Recognizing letters of the alphabet
  • Remembering dates
  • Speaking clearly
  • Spelling
  • Understanding mathematical concepts and numbers
  • Using the correct word to describe an object

Signs of dyslexia can appear in early childhood, well before a child reaches school age. The condition can also show up as kids get older and even into adulthood.

Early intervention is crucial to help a child learn and grow, as addressing these challenges right away can make a significant difference in a child’s ability to learn to read and write effectively. As kids get older, addressing dyslexia can improve their self-esteem and help set them up for success in adulthood.

Finding out your child has dyslexia can be a lot to process. The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia & Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children is here to help. Complete an application request today to get started.

Donor Spotlight: We Are More – Empowering Patients Through Their Talents

Donor Spotlight: We Are More – Empowering Patients Through Their Talents

by | Oct 5, 2023 | Spotlight

On the stage shining bright with lights, Divya, of Frisco, bent over into a backbend. Viewing the world from upside down and backward, she reached over to her vintage Little Tikes xylophone piano and plinked “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The crowd went wild!

A recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and former Scottish Rite for Children patient, Divya shared her talent in the We Are More Talent Show, a fundraiser that she created seven years ago to support patient care at Scottish Rite. “I wanted to give back,” she says, “and I realized there were probably a lot of other kids who wanted to give back but didn’t know how.” From rock bands, dancers and acrobatic yogis to an amputee playing the ukulele, an artist without hands painting and a child quickly solving a Rubik’s® Cube — a wide variety of talents have been showcased.

“When I started the show, my motivation was to raise money, but I realized it was more than just a fundraiser,” Divya says. “It had an impact on the patients.” The one-of-a-kind show encourages patients and families to bond and build community. There is no competition and no expectations. “You do whatever you want, have fun doing it, and everyone claps for you,” Divya says. “It creates a space for kids to be themselves, to feel included and supported.”

When Divya was 7, she was referred to Scottish Rite for joint hypermobility. “My ligaments were like rubber bands,” Divya says. “Instead of stretching and then recoiling back, they just kept stretching and stretching, so my kneecaps started dislocating.” Growing up, Divya had to sit out at recess and skip playing sports. She had multiple surgeries, but in high school, her family connected with pediatric orthopedic surgeon and medical director of clinical research Henry B. Ellis, M.D. He performed reconstruction surgeries on her knees that she says changed her life. “I never thought that I could do the things that I can do now, but after my last surgeries, I was miraculously fine,” she says.

Divya’s journey inspired We Are More. “I wanted to show that kids who go to Scottish Rite can still do cool things, that we are more than our disabilities.” The Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater Dallas has recognized Divya with the 2023 Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award. “We are so extremely proud of Divya,” says Stephanie Brigger, vice president of Development. “She has touched the hearts of so many people and contributed so much to Scottish Rite.”

Now, Divya is applying to medical school to become a doctor. She feels that her experience at Scottish Rite will position her to do more advocacy in the field. “Scottish Rite gives families hope,” Divya says, “not only because their kids receive the utmost care, but also because they don’t have to worry about whether they can afford it. There’s no other place like it!”

Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia

Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia

by | Oct 3, 2023 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

What is Take Flight? Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia is a curriculum written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children. Take Flight builds on the success of the three previous dyslexia intervention programs developed by the institution: Alphabetic Phonics, the Dyslexia Training Program and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children Literacy Program. The curriculum was designed for use by dyslexia therapists with children ages 7 years and older who have developmental dyslexia. The purpose was to enable students with dyslexia to achieve and maintain better word recognition, reading fluency, reading comprehension and aid in the transition from a therapy setting to ‘real world’ learning. How is Take Flight Implemented? Take Flight is designed for small group instruction (two to six students) for a minimum of 45 minutes per day, five days each week. Alternatively, the lessons can be taught for 60 minutes each day for four days a week. Take Flight includes 132 new learning days and 98 application days for a total of 230 days of direct instruction. What is included in the Take Flight Program for Students? Take Flight contains the five components of effective reading instruction supported by the National Reading Panel research meta-analysis and mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and reading comprehension. With Take Flight, students will learn all 44 sounds of the English language, 96 letter – sound correspondence rules and 87 affixes. The student will also learn spelling rules for base words and derivatives. Practice opportunities are also provided that are designed to improve oral reading fluency. Finally, Take Flight introduces comprehension and vocabulary building strategies for both narrative and expository text in the context of oral reading exercises to prepare students for successful, independent reading. Key research findings on Take Flight include:
  • Students who complete Take Flight instruction show significant growth in all areas of reading skill.
  • Follow-up research with children who completed treatment indicates that students maintain the benefits of instruction on word reading skills and continue to improve in reading comprehension.
  • Take Flight is effective when used in schools by therapists with advanced training in remediation of students with dyslexia.
  • Students with the lowest reading skills acquire the strongest gains from Take Flight instruction.
There are 109 instructors that teach Take Flight to other dyslexia therapists representing 24 training courses. Because of this work with instructors and therapists, Take Flight is servicing children in 46 states and nine countries. Our team is now reaching more than 20,000 new students with dyslexia each year. Scottish Rite for Children also offers other supplemental programs:
  • Rite Flight: A Classroom Reading Rate Program was designed for use by classroom teachers, reading specialists and special education teachers with first through eighth grade students to help students increase their reading rate and fluency. It can be used as supplemental or intervention instruction for individuals, small groups or the whole classroom.
  • Rite Flight: A Classroom Comprehension Program may be integrated into a core reading program as a supplement to address reading comprehension more completely. It is designed for use by classroom teachers, reading specialists or special education teachers with first through eighth grade students as a tool for intensified comprehension intervention for struggling readers.
  • Build: A K-1 Early Reading Intervention is a 100-lesson reading intervention.  Build is a small group intervention that addresses the five specific components of reading intervention. Each component is taught developmentally using a direct, systematic, cumulative, multisensory method of introduction and practice to meet the specific needs of kindergarten and first grade students struggling in reading.
  • Bridges: A Dyslexia Intervention Connecting Teacher, Avatar & Student is a two-year curriculum that can be taught by a certified teacher. The avatar, Ms. Hallie, co-teaches by delivering the more complex aspects of the structured dyslexia intervention. Those familiar with Take Flight know that it was designed for use by academic language therapists. Developing that expertise is a two-year process, and at times, that can become a discrepancy between the number of students identified with dyslexia and the number of trained therapists available to provide services. Bridges is the carefully considered response to the complication.
  • Jet: A Fast-Paced Reading Intervention is a one-year curriculum that builds on the success of the four previous dyslexia intervention programs developed by the staff of Scottish Rite for Children. It was developed for individuals with dyslexia fourteen years and older.
Learn more about the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.
Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

by | Sep 30, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Header image courtesy of Eddie Kelly/ProLook.

When an injury threatened to keep Bryce off the baseball field for nine months, he and his family turned to Scottish Rite for Children to get him back in the game.

Bryce has always loved baseball. “I’ve been playing baseball pretty much ever since I could walk and get a ball in my hand,” he says. His mother, Johnette, first saw glimpses of Bryce’s outstanding athletic ability when he was 4. “When the other team was batting, it didn’t matter where Bryce was playing, he would go all over the field to get the ball,” she says. “He was kind of like a one-man-team.” Bryce started pitching when he was 8, and Johnette saw a drive and a passion that were unlike what she saw in other young athletes. When Bryce became a teenager, he played on select baseball teams, and he spent several summers traveling for games. Bryce’s drive and determination paid off his freshman year at McKinney High School when he made the varsity baseball team.

Like many star athletes, Bryce played several sports, and enjoyed football when he wasn’t playing baseball. Sport diversification can help prevent injuries caused by overuse, but unfortunately contact injuries are harder to prevent. In his junior year, he and his team had made it to the second round of the playoffs. During practice, to get ready for the big game, Bryce went for a block and, after contact, felt his arm go completely numb. “I thought it was just some bumps and a bruise because it’s football,” says Bryce. “So, I played that second round, and played every snap on offense and felt fine, but it turns out, it wasn’t too great.” The day after the game, he and a friend went to the baseball field to throw the ball around, but Bryce quickly realized that there was a problem. “I couldn’t even throw the ball five feet, because it was hurting so bad,” he says. 

Bryce had sustained a labral injury to his shoulder, which likely occurred when he subluxated (shoulder almost dislocated) or possibly dislocated (shoulder completely out of the socket) his shoulder. When the shoulder joint is injured this way, it can cause damage to the structures around the joint, including the labrum. The labrum is a ring of cartilage around the socket part of the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. When torn, the labrum is commonly thought to need surgery, but not always. 

Bryce,-MVP-(1).jpg

Initially, Bryce was told that surgery was necessary in order to return to sports and may take as long as nine months. This news devastated Bryce, so when his parents returned, they turned to the Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center for another opinion. Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Henry B. Ellis, M.D., reviewed Bryce’s files and MRI, and felt that they could get him back to baseball with physical therapy instead of surgery. He felt with proper rehabilitation (physical therapy) and allowing enough time to allow the labrum to heal, Bryce could avoid a surgery and possibly be back to baseball sooner. However, this did mean that Bryce would have to give his shoulder enough time to heal before throwing a ball again.

Though encouraged by the option to avoid surgery, Bryce remembers being a little shocked at how difficult physical therapy was from the start. “It kind of killed my confidence a little bit and frustrated me, because I’ve always played a lot of sports and I always want to be the best that I can be. But once I saw improvement in how my body and my shoulder felt, I finally started getting back my confidence, so it was good.” Scottish Rite coordinated with the McKinney High School athletic trainers on a program to get Bryce back on the field as soon as possible.

Bryce was cleared to play in February, right before the team began preparing for the upcoming season. After all the hard work he had put into building back his shoulder, he was very excited to be with his team again. They were glad to have him back too – in Bryce’s first week back, he hit three home runs. Things were going great until COVID-19 forced an early end to the season. “All this is a little different,” says Bryce. “It’s like a curveball being thrown at us. But you just have to adapt and be able to adjust and focus on what you are there for.”

Bryce has complete confidence in his shoulder now. “I feel like I can do anything and everything that I’ve always been capable of doing,” he says. “If it wasn’t for Scottish Rite, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” Bryce recently verbally committed to play baseball at Northeast Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and plans to continue his journey to Major League of Baseball.

Bryce is very grateful to Dr. Ellis. When others were recommending surgery, Ellis presented the pros and cons of a nonoperative plan. Bryce says he learned a lot from his experience. “When you go through hard times, you always have to keep your head straight and focus on the main goal, because you are going to go through ups and downs, but you just have to focus on the end result, and that was big for me. Not focusing on the negatives, but on getting back to where I needed to be.”

 

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