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Headaches are very common, but when symptoms are severe and prevent your child from participating in school and social activities, evaluation and treatment by an expert team of neurologists is needed. What is a headache?A headache is defined as persistent pain anywhere in the head or neck. Headaches are very common. A large study of American children found that one in four teenagers reported frequent or severe headaches within the past year.What causes headaches in children?Headaches can either occur on their own, or as a symptom of many different conditions. When headaches occur without any other illness, they are called primary headache disorders because the headache itself is the primary problem. Primary headache disorders include:Tension-type headache — the most common type of headache. The pain is mild to moderate, and feels like pressure.Migraine — severe and disabling headaches that can last for hours or days along with nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, and dizziness.Chronic migraine — frequent headaches (15 days per month or more) which occur for at least three months in a row. Often kids report they have a milder headache most of the time, and that the pain spikes up into a migraine on top of that pain. New daily persistent headache — chronic headaches that develop suddenly in children or teens with no past history of headaches.Post-traumatic headache — a headache that starts after a concussion and can produce symptoms similar to chronic migraine.Headaches that are caused by another condition are called secondary headaches. For example, many headaches in children are due to infections, like the common cold or the flu. Serious causes of headache, like brain tumors, are extremely uncommon.Most of the time, headaches can be easily managed with your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider. It’s very rare that your child’s headache is a sign of a serious or life-threatening problem.Recurrent headaches, though, can interfere with your chil