Pediatric Concussion Care

When your child is dealing with a concussion, you need nothing less than exceptional care. At The Children’s Institute, we make sure children and adolescents with concussions get the quality care they need. As a leader in providing comprehensive rehabilitative concussion care, we’re constantly looking to improve the treatment our patients receive. With a team of specialists on staff that includes physical therapists and neuropsychologists, we create the ideal treatment plan for each individual.

We offer:

> ImPACT testing – pre- and post-injury and/or comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation as appropriate to each case
> Balance Testing – as part of pre-injury screening
> Return to participation monitoring and progression by one of our physical therapists

We also offer return to participation services on an outpatient basis, beginning with a physical therapy evaluation. A program will be customized to meet the needs of each patient.

About ImPACT testing

ImPACT testing is accepted as part of the state-of-the-art return to participation testing following a concussion. It offers a large database for normative comparison to athletes of most ages.

The ImPACT test:
• is one important piece of the overall concussion evaluation and management process
• is a brief test of cognitive abilities
• can help healthcare professionals track recovery of cognitive processes following concussion
• helps communicate post-concussion status to athletes, coaches, parents and clinicians
• helps healthcare professionals and educators make decisions about academic needs following concussion

Neuropsychological assessment

Neuropsychological assessment involves testing cognitive abilities such as processing speed, attention, memory and executive functions. These results are used by a clinician, along with assessment of physical symptoms, to determine a child or adolescent’s
progress with recovery from concussion. Testing may be brief (e.g., ImPACT) or extended depending on severity of injury and time since the injury. Results of the neuropsychological evaluation also inform school planning in the event that accommodations are necessary during recovery. Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation services are available at the Squirrel Hill location only.

For more information or schedule an appointment, please call 412-420-2400.

For additional information about our Concussion Care services, download our informational one sheet here.