Student Athlete Brain Health Program
Helping student athletes thrive before, during, and after a concussion.
At The Neurodevelopmental Collective, we believe student athletes are students first.
A concussion doesn't just affect participation in sports. It can affect attention, memory, processing speed, executive functioning, learning, and classroom performance. While most athletes recover well, it can be difficult to determine when a student has truly returned to their typical level of functioning.
Our Student Athlete Brain Health Program is designed to establish meaningful cognitive baseline data before an injury occurs and provide individualized comparison data if a concussion occurs in the future.
Unlike many concussion programs that focus primarily on return-to-play decisions, our approach also considers the academic, cognitive, and developmental needs of the whole child.
Schedule an assessment today
Why Consider Baseline Testing?
Current concussion guidelines do not require baseline testing for sports participation, and baseline testing cannot prevent concussions or predict who will sustain an injury.
However, many concussion specialists, sports medicine programs, schools, and athletic organizations use baseline assessments because they can provide valuable information when interpreting post-injury performance. Research suggests that baseline data can be especially helpful when used as one component of a comprehensive concussion evaluation, allowing clinicians to compare an athlete's post-injury performance to their own typical functioning rather than relying solely on population averages.
Baseline information may be particularly helpful when:
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An athlete has a history of previous concussions
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Recovery is prolonged or more complex than expected
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Questions arise regarding return-to-learn or return-to-play
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An athlete has ADHD, learning differences, migraines, giftedness, anxiety, or other factors that may influence cognitive performance
Who Is This For?
This program is appropriate for athletes participating in recreational or competitive sports, including:
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Soccer
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Football
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Lacrosse
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Basketball
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Baseball and softball
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Volleyball
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Cheerleading
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Hockey
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Gymnastics
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Water sports
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Martial arts
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Cycling
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Recreational athletics
While this assessment is appropriate for all student athletes, it may be especially valuable for athletes with:
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ADHD
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Learning differences
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Executive functioning challenges
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Gifted or twice-exceptional (2e) profiles
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Migraine history
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Previous concussions
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Anxiety or mood concerns
Pricing:
Student Athlete Brain Health Baseline Assessment
$1,600
Includes:
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Parent questionnaire
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60-90 minute in-person assessment
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Administration, scoring, and review by a licensed pediatric psychologist
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Baseline Cognitive Score Record
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Secure retention of baseline data for future comparison
Post-Concussion Comparison Assessment
$1,600
Includes:
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Review of current symptoms and recovery concerns
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Repeat assessment of relevant baseline measures
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Administration, scoring, and review by a licensed pediatric psychologist
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Objective comparison with baseline performance
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Post-Concussion Cognitive Comparison Record
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Updated baseline records for future reference
How Is Our Program Different?
Many schools, sports leagues, and sports medicine programs offer brief computerized concussion baseline testing. These programs can be valuable tools, but they are designed to provide a quick screening.
Our program is different.
Every assessment is individually administered, scored, and reviewed by a licensed pediatric psychologist with expertise in neuropsychology, child development, learning, attention, and executive functioning.
Rather than relying on a single computerized screening, we use multiple evidence-based neuropsychological measures to establish each athlete's unique cognitive baseline.
Our philosophy is simple:
Every brain is different.
Many student athletes have ADHD, learning differences, executive functioning challenges, giftedness, anxiety, migraines, or other neurodevelopmental differences that influence how they think, learn, and process information.
Understanding these individual differences before an injury occurs provides more meaningful comparison data should a concussion occur later.
Most concussion programs are designed for athletes. Ours is designed for student athletes.
We don't just consider return-to-play. We also recognize that concussions can affect classroom learning, homework, testing, organization, attention, memory, and executive functioning. Our goal is to provide meaningful baseline information that can support conversations regarding both return-to-learn and return-to-play.
What to Expect:
Student Athlete Brain Health Baseline Assessment
1
Parent Questionnaire
Parents complete a comprehensive questionnaire reviewing:
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Medical history
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Previous concussion history
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Learning and attention concerns
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Academic functioning
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Sleep
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Migraine history
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Current symptoms
2
Student Athlete Assessment
Athletes attend a 60-90 minute in-person assessment.
The assessment provides baseline information regarding:
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Attention and concentration
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Working memory
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Processing speed
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Executive functioning
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Cognitive flexibility
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Verbal fluency and word retrieval
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Visual attention and tracking
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Eye movement efficiency
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Baseline concussion symptoms
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Performance validity to help ensure the assessment reflects the athlete's best effort
The assessment uses a combination of evidence-based neuropsychological measures selected to establish meaningful baseline cognitive data that can be compared with future performance if a concussion occurs.
3
Baseline Cognitive Score Record
Families receive a concise Baseline Cognitive Score Record that includes:
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Scores from the baseline measures completed
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A brief description of the cognitive areas assessed
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Documentation of the athlete's baseline performance for future comparison
The Baseline Cognitive Score Record is intentionally brief and is designed solely to document baseline cognitive functioning. It does not include diagnostic interpretation, comprehensive clinical analysis, individualized recommendations, educational recommendations, or treatment recommendations.
Results are securely retained for future comparison should an injury occur.
If a Concussion Occurs
If an athlete sustains a concussion after completing a baseline assessment, families may schedule a Post-Concussion Comparison Assessment.
Relevant measures are repeated and compared directly with the athlete's baseline performance. This allows us to determine whether current functioning differs from the athlete's own typical cognitive profile rather than relying solely on population norms.
Families receive:
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Review of current symptoms and recovery concerns
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Re-administration of relevant baseline measures
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Objective comparison of current and baseline performance
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A brief Post-Concussion Cognitive Comparison Record
Like the baseline assessment, this service is not a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. The Post-Concussion Cognitive Comparison Record is intended to document comparison data that may assist families and members of the athlete's medical team when discussing recovery, return-to-learn planning, and return-to-activity decisions. It is not a diagnostic report and does not provide comprehensive clinical interpretation.
Important Information
The Student Athlete Brain Health Baseline Assessment and the Post-Concussion Comparison Assessment are not comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations.
These services are not intended to diagnose ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, anxiety, concussion, or any other medical, developmental, educational, or psychological condition.
Unlike a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, these services are designed solely to establish and compare baseline cognitive data. The Baseline Cognitive Score Record and Post-Concussion Cognitive Comparison Record provide objective documentation of test performance and comparison data only. They are not diagnostic reports and should not be used to determine eligibility for school services, accommodations, standardized testing accommodations, or to answer broader questions regarding learning, attention, development, or emotional functioning.
If diagnostic questions arise or concerns exist regarding learning, attention, development, emotional functioning, or other neurodevelopmental differences, a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is the appropriate service and may be recommended.