How to protect your kids from Heads Up Concussion – A Fact Sheet for Youth Sports Parents
Here is the information to help protect your children or teens from concussion or other serious brain injury.
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI— caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. This fast movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging the brain cells.
How can I help keep my children or teens safe?
Sports are a great way for children and teens to stay healthy and can help them do well in school. To help lower your children’s or teens’ chances of getting a concussion or other serious brain injury, you should:
How can I spot a possible concussion?
Children and teens who show or report one or more of the signs and symptoms listed below—or simply say they just “don’t feel right” after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body—may have a concussion or other serious brain injury.
Signs observed by parents
- Appears dazed or stunned.
- Forgets an instruction, is confused about an assignment or position, or is unsure of the game, score, or opponent.
- Moves clumsily.
- Answers questions slowly.
- Loses consciousness (even briefly).
- Shows mood, behavior, or personality changes.
- Can’t recall events prior to or after a hit or fall.
Symptoms reported by children and teens
- Headache or “pressure” in head.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Balance problems or dizziness, or double or blurry vision.
- Bothered by light or noise.
- Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy.
- Confusion, or concentration or memory problems.
- Just not “feeling right,” or “feeling down.”
Talk with your children and teens about concussion
Tell them to report their concussion symptoms to you and their coach right away. Some children and teens think concussions aren’t serious or worry that if they report a concussion they will lose their position on the team or look weak. Remind them that it’s better to miss one game than the whole season.
Good teammates know: It’s better to miss one game than the whole season.
Concussions affect each child and teen differently
While most children and teens with a concussion feel better within a couple of weeks, some will have symptoms for months or longer. Talk with your children’s or teens’ health care provider if their concussion symptoms do not go away or if they get worse after they return to their regular activities.
Plan ahead. What do you want your child or teen to know about concussion?
What are some more serious danger signs to look out for?
In rare cases, a dangerous collection of blood (hematoma) may form on the brain after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body and can squeeze the brain against the skull. Call 9-1-1 or take your child or teen to the emergency department right away if, after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, he or she has one or more of these danger signs:
What should I do if my child or teen has a possible concussion?
As a parent, if you think your child or teen may have a concussion, you should:
Do not try to judge the severity of the injury yourself. Only a health care provider should assess a child or teen for a possible concussion. You may not know how serious the concussion is at first, and some symptoms may not show up for hours or days.
A child’s or teen’s return to school and sports should be a gradual process that is carefully managed and monitored by a health care provider.
Children and teens who continue to play while having concussion symptoms or who return to play too soon—while the brain is still healing— have a greater chance of getting another concussion. A repeat concussion that occurs while the brain is still healing from the first injury can be very serious and can affect a child or teen for a lifetime. It can even be fatal.
Seek Additional Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
CDC – Heads Up Concussion: A Fact Sheet for Youth Sports Parents (Revised 12/2015)
