Concussion Competencies: A Framework for School-Based Concussion Management

Medical intervention for concussion is appropriately focused on the acute emergent status of recently injured patients. Yet the vast amount of time and effort, once a neurologic emergency has been ruled out, is behavioral in nature, i.e., managing and monitoring the patient and engaging in "active rehabilitation" strategies. In short, concussion management is primarily secondary prevention to prevent repeat injury and prolonged recovery. This competency-based behavioral curriculum is the outgrowth of several projects working with schools in concussion management. Those projects were initially inspired by state statutes that require education and training in concussion management. At their most specific, those laws require training in identification and management of concussions. However, limited specific curricula exist that address details of those processes to ensure staff in schools and clinics are sufficiently prepared to function effectively. All three authors have extensive experience in clinical work and research in concussion management. The 10 Competencies address: Biological Aspects of concussion management Behavioral aspects of concussion Programmatic considerations This volume intends to: Bridge the gaps between schools, community health care, and families; Focus on behavior and not medicine; Assume that schools are a proper focus of activity, but does not assume all schools have equal resources; Elevate the role of the student-patient and the family in the recovery process. The material is aimed at a broad range of interested parties: School Superintendents, Boards, and Administrators Athletic Directors and Coaches Teachers Licensed and Ancillary Health Care Providers Parents and Students

About the Author :
Arthur C. Maerlender, Ph.D., ABPP-CN: Dr. Maerlender has taught in middle school, consulted to schools on mental health, learning and concussion issues; he has also developed both psychological and educational tests. As a former athlete and rugby coach he has dealt with the reality of serious injuries all of his life. After obtaining a PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, he has pursued a career in neuropsychology that included directing a pediatric service in a large tertiary-care hospital, developing clinical and community concussion management programs, and conducting research with over 30 publications on concussions alone. His recent focus has been to establish best-practice and evidence-based concussion management protocols for youth. Jonathan D. Lichtenstein, Psy.D., MBA: Dr. Lichtenstein is the Director of Pediatric Neuropsychological Services at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and The Dartmouth Institute at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. He serves as a consultant to concussion management programs at middle schools, high schools, and colleges, and is the team neuropsychologist for Dartmouth College Athletics. Dr. Lichtenstein's work in concussion management has extended from the youth to the professional level. He is the PI and clinical director of Concussion Chalk Talk, a grant-funded school-based concussion management program. His research and publications have focused on test administration, effort, recovery, and program evaluation in concussion management. Dr. Lichtenstein lectures widely on neuropsychology, with specific applications in the schools. Jennifer Parent-Nichols, MSPT, DPT, PCS, CBIS, AIB-VR: Ms. Parent-Nichols is a physical therapist and certified pediatric and brain injury specialist. She has worked in the area of pediatrics with experience in early intervention, school based therapy, and adolescent sports medicine. As an assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Franklin Pierce University, she teaches Pediatrics and Neurology. Her areas of research include pediatric bracing, management of stress, adolescent sports medicine, and education. She provides expert consultation and education as part of the Chalk Talk team, helping students to return to learning after concussion. Dr. Parent-Nichols has presented her research both nationally and internationally.