Sports Concussion Injuries

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA is a national law ensuring services to children with disabilities. This Act governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. IDEA gives children with disabilities and their families important protections specifically ensuring children are given proper assessments and tests to determine their special needs. Children are able to attend an annual individualized education program meeting in order to develop their individual education plan. And children and parents were able to resolve disputes through an impartial district process. IDEA defines children with disabilities as individuals between the ages of three and 22 with one or more of the following conditions: mental retardation, hearing impairment including deafness, speech or language impairment, visual impairment including blindness, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury or specific learning disability. Sports are a significant cause of concussions. Around half of these concussions happen in football. Many other sports such as hockey, lacrosse, cycling, soccer and snowboarding contribute to this number. Multiple concussions may lead to long-lasting problems with movement, learning or speaking. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that’s caused by a blow to the head or body, or a fall other injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. You don’t have to lose consciousness or have any forgetfulness. Athletes in the U.S. suffer 3.8 million sports-related concussions each year. While people become more aware of the dangers of suffering a concussion while playing sports, individuals are still subjecting themselves or their children to activities that hold a high risk of concussion. Also some advisers, coaches and trainers don’t always diagnose a concussion at the appropriate time which prolongs the affects, risk and danger.