South Florida public high school football players are having their cognitive skills assessed before their season starts.
The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing is a 20-minute, computerized evaluation often administered by a trainer. It gives doctors a baseline assessment of an athlete’s mental abilities so that after an injury, the test can be retaken for a true measure of recovery.
The Cleveland Clinic agreed last month to underwrite a pilot program testing Palm Beach County football players before their season starts Monday. Miami-Dade County has been using baseline testing for two years, and Broward County began mandatory testing this year.