Risk of impaired school performance in children hospitalized with concussion: a population-based matched cohort study

AIM: To examine the impact of concussion on objective measures of school performance. MATERIALS & METHODS: Population-based matched cohort study using linked health and education records of young people aged ≤18 years hospitalized with concussion in New South Wales, Australia, during 2005–2018, and matched comparisons not hospitalized with any injury. RESULTS: Young people with concussion had higher risk of not achieving the national minimum standards for literacy and numeracy assessments, ranging from 30% for numeracy to 43% for spelling, and not completing high school, ranging from 29% for year 10 to 77% for year 12, compared with matched peers. CONCLUSION: Young people hospitalized with concussion have impaired school performance compared with uninjured matched peers.