It’s that time of the year again! Don’t forget to mark your calendars and save the date for this year’s 3rd Annual Chapman University Survivor Symposium!

Every 21 seconds someone suffers from a brain injury.  In the coming year, 1.7 million Americans will suffer the devastation of a brain injury.  That figure is larger than the newly diagnosed cases of heart attacks and breast cancer combined! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an estimated 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports.  Of these an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes sustain sports- related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) annually.  Concussions, a mild form of TBI, make up approximately 80% of these incidents (Sorenson & Kraus, 1991).  Despite this astonishing reality, there are precious efforts to help brain injury survivors and their families.

Each year, the Chapman Chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) provides opportunities for students to advance their learning on various topics of neurogenic communication disorders. This year’s symposium will focus on the effects of concussions on high school athletes. There are too many athletes who go undiagnosed and untreated without even knowing they had a concussion. Throughout the evening, various professionals will discuss issues related to concussions in high school athletes.  With the high prevalence of concussions among athletes, educators and parents need to be prepared and educated in ways to monitor and manage the healing process for these students.

Our event will include a multi-disciplinary panel consisting of educational, medical, and athletic professionals who will share their expertise on the effects of concussions.  Each panel member will pose and answer a question related to their area of expertise. After each panel member is done presenting and answering their questions, the panel will have an open discussion where people from the audience can ask questions. It is the belief of Chapman University’s NSSLHA that the students and community members who come to this event will leave with a better understanding of the issues dealing with concussions. This event is also immensely valuable for individuals preparing to become speech language pathologists serving this population. As educators, we strive to facilitate the success and safety of student athletes on and off the field. The many effects of concussions can impede learning in the classroom.

We hope that by attending this event we can learn together about the impact that concussions have on communication and how we as future professionals can be active in the provision of services, treatment and advocacy for prevention.  This event will take place Friday, April 26th from 3-5pm at Chapman University.  For more information and to register visit the Survivor Symposium page.

Hope to see you all there! ~Chapman NSSLHA