March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. The Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC) is working to increase awareness of youth concussions with the "Return to Learn" program for Washington state public high schools.
Across the nation, concussion protocols are in place to guide student athletes' safe return to sports participation. But no clear guidelines exist for students' appropriate return to the classroom.
Most youth soccer leagues will not introduce purposeful heading to kids until they are at least 11, but there isn't a standardized way to teach the technique. Dr.
Keeping kids in a dark room, or "cocoon therapy," after a concussion is no longer what's recommended due to research that shows it can actually prolong concussion symptoms.
