King-Devick Test CEO Joins Experts at White House Safe Sports Concussion Summit

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., June 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Devick, O.D., CEO and founder of King-Devick Test, LLC joined the nation's top concussion experts at the first-ever White House Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit in Washington, D.C. 

"We want our kids participating in sports," President Barack Obama said at the Summit. "As parents, though, we want to keep them safe and that means we have to have better information."

Obama later added, "We've got to have every parent and coach and teacher recognize the signs of concussions.  And we need more athletes to understand how important it is to do what we can to prevent injuries and to admit them when they do happen."

Recently, researchers from the Mayo Clinic validated the King-Devick Concussion Test for youth athletes as the test accurately detected both reported and un-reported concussions. 

"It has become evident that not only do many athletes not report symptoms of concussion, but concussive brain injuries may occur without the athlete even experiencing symptoms," says Priya Dhawan, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist. "King-Devick testing may not only be a valuable remove-from-play tool, but may detect those who may have suffered a silent or unreported concussion and identify those athletes who may need further evaluation before returning to play."

In addition to being a vital tool for clinicians, recent peer-reviewed published studies have shown that King-Devick (K-D) Test can be effectively administered by parents and coaches on the sidelines in minutes to help determine if an athlete needs to be removed-from-play and seek further medical attention. 

The King-Devick Test requires athletes to read single-digit numbers displayed on test cards or an iPad.  To screen for concussion, the athlete is given the test and results are compared to a pre-season baseline test.  If the time needed to complete the test takes longer than the baseline test time, the athlete should be removed-from-play until cleared by a medical professional. 

Dr. Devick is committed to making reliable and objective sideline concussion testing for all athletes accessible and affordable.  "The King-Devick Test helps provide a safer sporting environment for youth athletes by accurately screening for concussion," he says. "It's our responsibility as parents, coaches and clinicians to identify concussions in order to remove them from play and allow children the proper time to recover from concussion so they can safely return to learn and play."

Amaal Starling, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist says, the test is affordable and can easily be used by any youth sports league, and administered by non-medical personnel.  "The King-Devick test represents a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective tool to identify concussion on the sideline and make appropriate game-time, remove-from-play decisions," she says.   

King-Devick Test is as little as $2 per athlete per year for schools, clubs and organizations. King-Devick Test recently partnered with Veterans Distribution Company, a service-disabled veteran owned business started by two veterans who were awarded the bronze star and were disabled in conflict also being awarded the purple heart medal.

For more information or to purchase King-Devick Test, visit: www.kingdevicktest.com.

About King-Devick Test, LLC
The King-Devick (K-D) Test was developed more than 25 years ago and has been used worldwide as a proven indicator of saccadic eye movements as they relate to reading using Rapid Number Naming. Elite neurological journals have called the King-Devick Test an "accurate and reliable method for identifying athletes with head trauma." Other studies have proven King-Devick Test to help determine neurological functionality in: Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, extreme sleep deprivation, and hypoxia.

PRESS CONTACT:
Samantha Figueroa, King-Devick Test, 630-501-0286; [email protected]

SOURCE King-Devick Test