NYIT's $20 concussion test could help save your child's life

OLD WESTBURY, New York (WABC) -- Any parent of an athlete will tell you one of their biggest concerns is concussions, and Carol Goldrick is no different when it comes to her 13-year-old daughter Victoria, who plays basketball and lacrosse.

"I'm an (Registered Nurse)," Carol said. "I've seen children with concussions. I've seen it change their whole personality."

So being the concerned parent she is, she brought Victoria to the NYIT Center for Sports Medicine to get a baseline concussion test.

"I knew if I got hurt, it would be better than if I didn't get it," Victoria said.

The test involves looking at someone's sensory and motor skills, their memory, reaction time, and processing speed. It also involves a balance assessment.

"Through baseline testing, when someone comes back and we retest them, we have validated numbers to say you were here and now you're here," NYIT Director of Sports Medicine Dr. Hallie Zwibel said.

Having the data allows therapists to intervene right away if someone gets a concussion rather than having the patient lie around and wait it out.

"Every concussion is unique," Dr. Zwibel said. "So I could say your concussion just strictly involves a loss of balance, then I could have you meet with one of our rehabilitative physical therapists who focuses on vestibular therapy."

The cost for the test is only $20 and takes about 45 minutes to complete.

The test is recommended for anyone 12 years and older, athlete or not.

"We'll see concussions in plenty of things people aren't expecting -- a motor vehicle accident, falling off a bike, just playing around in a park," Dr. Zwibel said. "There's certain incidents when you can be at risk, even around the house."

If you're interested in learning more about the test, visit NYIT.edu.