UP Area Schools Take Part In Pilot Program Testing For Concussions
DETROIT (WWJ) -Dorothy Jamison is a trainer for Calumet and Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools in the Upper Peninsula, and they've been using the King-Devick test this year.
"If we suspect a concussion we ask them to do it again on the sideline after the injury and if the time is more than a second longer or there are any errors whatsoever compared to the baseline - we disqualify them and send them off to their medical doctor for evaluation," said Jamison.
She says they do a baseline test at the beginning of the year, and she says they'll re-do it if they suspect a concussion as it tests every area of the brain.
"This picks up the symptoms right away, before the kids even realize they have issues with the concussion," she said.
Jamison says she's had about eight Calumet kids who have had concussions, but says she's ruled out quite a few as well. She'd like to see this test become standard nationwide and notes a dozen NHL teams are using the test this year.