Brain injuries that may occur in concussions often go undiagnosed, or when they are diagnosed parents are not made aware of the possible impact the injury may have on the child's ability to access a free and appropriate public education. Often mild brain injuries, that may or may not be visible on an MRI, impact executive functioning skills that are housed in the right frontal lobe of the brain.
These executive functioning skills include planning, initiation, problem solving, organization of thought, judgement and impulsivity, time management and awareness. Even when a student is highly intelligent, the loss of executive functioning skills can have a severe impact that child's ability to learn.
For a mild brain injury such as a concussion a 504 may be sufficient to provide the child with temporary modifications and accommodations that may be necessary to enable the child to access the educational program.
I can assist you in getting the district to develop a 504 plan. If the injury is more severe, I advocate in the development of an Individual Education Plan as required by IDEA.
