OP, thanks for reporting back, and I do wish you good luck.

If I could go back, I would have wasted less time stressing about school work (I didn't make him do it, I just stressed about it), and just go with the flow a bit more. Kids do recover.

He really has to follow the no sticks, balls, wheels, or running rule until he is completely asymptomatic, and even then he has to take it real slow. Good luck.

OP here. Just want to thank everyone for all your responses. Have learned a lot from you.

School's been generally supportive, though we are finding that I definitely need to advocate for some changes to make them happen.

Found out more details about what happened, as concussion was a result of an incident that no adults saw at school.

He's doing a lot better, though looks like his headache may not fully go away for weeks. It's good to hear about others experiencing emotional outbursts, as we're seeing that.

I know of a volleyball player who got a concussion from a ball hit into the back of her head, while she stood at the net with her own teammate serving (poorly). So, you you can get a concussion while standing still and it seems it could be similar to a whack of a hand to the back of your head.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi, it's Ms. "I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head."


I am sorry your child has years of neuro-rehab at a clinic run by researchers of national importance but your child is not in this condition due to heading the ball as a youth soccer player.

I work with local researchers at NIH and CH, heading the ball in youth sports has 0 risk unless you hit heads with the other person trying to head the ball.

So how about a child being hit on the back of the head with an open palm by an adult, hard enough for the child to lose vision for a few seconds? (I know someone responded to this already but it was not clear if they were knowledgeable about the subject or just throwing in their two cents.)

I actually commented on that in my original post though not directly. CTE has been found in child abuse. The strength of the hit and the amount would matter. But it is usually due to a shaken baby like action.

Anonymous wrote:Hi, it's Ms. "I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head."


I am sorry your child has years of neuro-rehab at a clinic run by researchers of national importance but your child is not in this condition due to heading the ball as a youth soccer player.

I work with local researchers at NIH and CH, heading the ball in youth sports has 0 risk unless you hit heads with the other person trying to head the ball.

So how about a child being hit on the back of the head with an open palm by an adult, hard enough for the child to lose vision for a few seconds? (I know someone responded to this already but it was not clear if they were knowledgeable about the subject or just throwing in their two cents.)

Hi, it's Ms. "I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head."


I am sorry your child has years of neuro-rehab at a clinic run by researchers of national importance but your child is not in this condition due to heading the ball as a youth soccer player.

I work with local researchers at NIH and CH, heading the ball in youth sports has 0 risk unless you hit heads with the other person trying to head the ball.

OP, my DD had one mild concussion, and to be honest, this doesn't sound like a "mild" one (and no, this is not a medical opinion).

My D got it during a school soccer game in 9th grade (I wasn't there, and wasn't notified about injury -- it was at a school pretty far away). At first, just thought she was irritable and not quite herself. By Monday, got more information and took her to Children's Concussion Clinic. Her school had just started using SCORE, so did have baseline info..

She had modifications for no quizzes or tests, and not more that 1 hour of HW per night, for 2 or 3 weeks. Also, no sports and not even allowed to do 2-mile walkathon or go to a dance during that time.

She was recovered after a few weeks (we went back to Children's Clinic at least once). I would call what she had a "mild" concussion. What you describe sounds like more than that to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If PP understands concussions, as she claims, she's the only one!!

"These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement."


http://www.bu.edu/cte/about/what-is-cte/

Agreed. I was responding to Ms. "I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head." My child has had to have years of neuro-rehab at a clinic run by researchers of national importance, and they'll tell you very plainly that there is much they don't understand about concussions.

And, for the record, I can't believe children are still allowed to hit balls with their heads! How is the risk worth it?!!

They could get rid of 80% of the heading through better instruction. After watching years of travel soccer, I can tell you that most of the headers would have been better dealt with by the kid taking the ball to the chest (thus gaining control, instead of playing ping pong). The coaches like the drama.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If PP understands concussions, as she claims, she's the only one!!

"These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement."


http://www.bu.edu/cte/about/what-is-cte/

Agreed. I was responding to Ms. "I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head." My child has had to have years of neuro-rehab at a clinic run by researchers of national importance, and they'll tell you very plainly that there is much they don't understand about concussions.

And, for the record, I can't believe children are still allowed to hit balls with their heads! How is the risk worth it?!!

Anonymous wrote:If PP understands concussions, as she claims, she's the only one!!

"These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement."


http://www.bu.edu/cte/about/what-is-cte/

If PP understands concussions, as she claims, she's the only one!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear, CTEs have not been found in Youth Soccer. The ball does not really get that high in the air to come down with force.

Agreed, it has not been found in youth soccer. It can only be found by studying the brain after the person dies. So they are not studying the brains of living children.

However- it is not the impact of the ball they believe causes CTE. It is the motion of the head- moving quickly in one direction and then stopping- that causes the brain to impact the inside of the skull. It is not the impact on the outside of the skull, it is the movement of the brain inside the skull. This is why even the best football helmets can only reduce the risk. Helmets do nothing to stop the impact on the INSIDE of the skull.

Children die all the time. No autopsy of a child has found CTE which they suspect was caused by a few years of youth soccer. Though they have found CTE in children who have been abused.

I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head.

It can take years and even decades for CTE to show up.

Knee of base runner hit temple of DD who was crouching to catch the ball in softball. Immediately taken to hospital for evaluation and MRI and resorted to dark room with no lights, TV, music, books, or mental distraction for 48 hours. Still took 6 weeks to heal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to be clear, CTEs have not been found in Youth Soccer. The ball does not really get that high in the air to come down with force.

Agreed, it has not been found in youth soccer. It can only be found by studying the brain after the person dies. So they are not studying the brains of living children.

However- it is not the impact of the ball they believe causes CTE. It is the motion of the head- moving quickly in one direction and then stopping- that causes the brain to impact the inside of the skull. It is not the impact on the outside of the skull, it is the movement of the brain inside the skull. This is why even the best football helmets can only reduce the risk. Helmets do nothing to stop the impact on the INSIDE of the skull.

Children die all the time. No autopsy of a child has found CTE which they suspect was caused by a few years of youth soccer. Though they have found CTE in children who have been abused.

I understand physics, I understand concussions and I understand CTE is a real problem. I just don't want some mom freaking out because their 5 year old hit the ball with their head.

Agreed 100%.