TDSB Policy & Resources on Concussions

A concussion:

• • is a brain injury that causes changes in the way in which the brain functions and that can lead to symptoms that can be physical (e.g., headache, dizziness), cognitive (e.g., difficulty, irritability), and/or related to sleep (e.g., drowsiness, difficulty in falling asleep); and/or social (e.g. isolation, inappropriate behaviour) and/or emotional (e.g. depression, anxiety);

  • may be caused either by a direct blow to the head, face, or neck or by a blow to the body that transmits force to the head that causes the brain to move rapidly within the skull;

  • most often occurs without a loss of consciousness;

  • cannot normally be seen by a means of medical imaging tests, such as X-rays, standard computed tomography (CT) scans, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans; and

  • is an invisible injury and due to the complexity of the brain is unique to each individual.