FAIRVIEW PARK -- Thirteen-year-old Hannah Lutsock spends most days on the couch or in bed. She's tired often and is not allowed to watch TV, use the computer or read.

That's because a month ago Hannah suffered a severe concussion in a soccer game.

"She was hit hard in the head by the ball, and it knocked her down, and she passed out," her dad, Dave, remembers.

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She was taken from the field in an ambulance. Since then, she's suffering the classic symptoms of concussion. But the constant headache and confusion is frustrating.

"I'm a straight-A student, and I can't do simple math problems," Hannah says.

While most kids heal from concussions in about three weeks, some, like Hannah, may take longer. She tried to go back to school but was overwhelmed.

"The headache returned with a vengeance," Dave says.

"Reading a passage was so difficult. I would stutter my words and my brain would mix up the words. It was challenging," Hannah says.

That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends a gradual transition back to learning depending on the severity of symptoms. This could mean half-days or being allowed to take breaks from class during the school day.

Some kids, like Hannah, have to stay out longer. She'll soon be meeting with a tutor to help her catch up on what she's missed and get her up to speed with the rest of her classmates without disruption.

"What we find is they can go through first period, they feel fine. They go through second period, it might be a little more challenging, and they start to get their symptoms. They back off, they kind of put their head down or go to the nurse's office, they rest, they recover, and they return." says Dr. Rick Figler of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.

He adds these kids are student-athletes first, not athlete-students and getting them back to class is the first priority before getting them back on the field.

For Hannah, soccer may be behind her because healing her brain is the only goal.