What are the Symptoms of a Concussion in Children?

Symptoms of concussion in children depend on the severity of the injury. Seizure and loss of consciousness are two of the most recognizable symptoms, but other symptoms may be less obvious. A child who has suffered a concussion might experience amnesia, headache or confusion. With a child who hasn't yet learned to talk, it's important to recognize subtle symptoms, such as fatigue, crankiness or altered patterns of sleeping or eating.

A concussion is a brain trauma that is usually the result of a blow to the head. Some symptoms immediately follow a concussion, while others can take hours, days or even weeks to manifest. While symptoms of concussion usually go away in four weeks or less, any child who might have suffered a concussion needs to be examined by a medical professional.

Symptoms of concussion in children that immediately follow a head injury include dizziness and disorientation. Though loss of consciousness is fairly common following a concussion, it doesn't always happen. Other symptoms that may arise right after head trauma are nausea, vomiting and headache. Blurred vision is also a common symptom of concussion.

Children who have suffered a sports injury and seem fine afterward need to be watched closely for signs that are less obvious or that might take time to become apparent. Subtle symptoms of concussion in children include mood swings, changes in style of play or work, and difficulty with concentration. Sometimes a child who has suffered a concussion will experience unusual levels of tiredness.

Other signs of concussion in children include difficulty waking up and headaches that increase in severity. In children who are too young to talk, attention needs to be paid to persistent crying and loss of appetite. Children who have these kinds of symptoms need to be seen by a doctor, as do children whose symptoms persist more than four weeks following a head injury.

Some signs of concussion in children require immediate emergency medical treatment. These symptoms include drainage of fluid or blood from the child's nose or ears, slurry speech or severe amnesia in which the child doesn't know who or where he or she is. Other danger signs are seizures and pupils that are not the same size in each eye. With their soft skulls, infants are at particular risk for brain trauma if they suffer head injuries. A bulging spot on an infant's head after a fall or a blow to the head constitutes an emergency situation.