Return to learn: An ethnographic study of adolescent young adults returning to school post-concussion

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States each year. Concussion symptoms can negatively impact the academic performance of adolescents after they return to school. The purpose of this study was to better understand the perceptions of parent-adolescent dyads as male and female adolescents returned to learn after sustaining a concussion.

A qualitative ethnographic study of 10, English-speaking, parent-adolescent dyads was conducted, following the adolescents return to school after a recent concussion. Dyads were recruited from a Concussion Clinic in Menlo Park, California between October 2018 and October 2019. Adolescents were aged 14-16 years old. Each dyad participated in a semistructured interview. Interviews were subsequently transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. This qualitative study design utilised COREQ (File S1). This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and ethics committee.

Three categories were identified: adolescents feeling misunderstood by school staff about their injuries, adolescents feeling overwhelmed by their injuries, and academic accommodations lacking clarity and implementation. The overarching theme that emerged was clear: Parents and adolescents lacked consistent guidelines for the adolescents' return to learn after a concussion.

Post-concussion syndrome as a result of head injury is a complex condition that requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. This treatment should be individualised and appropriately adjusted to provide the adolescent with the most optimal environment for recovery. This study provides data to suggest that more guidance from the medical provider or treatment team is needed for teachers and school administrators in order to create an ideal return to learn environment for the adolescent who is recovering from a head injury.