concussion education

A survey of high school athletic directors, coaches, and certified athletic trainers in Michigan finds that, while concussion education is very common in football, less than half of girls' soccer players received such education.

On March 17, 2011, South Dakota became the tenth state to enact a strong youth sports concussion safety law requiring immediate removal from play of an athlete suspected of having suffered a concussion and requiring medical clearance before return to play.

To help educate coaches, parents, players and officials, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) offers a  free online concussion safety course called "Concussion in Sports - What You Need to Know." To date, more than 47,000 persons have registered and completed the NFHS Coach Education course, which is available at www.nfhslearn.com

Because one of the keys to keeping athletes safe when it comes to concussion is education, a concussion education and safety meeting should be held for parents and athletes should be held before every season. Ideally, the meeting should include presentations by medical doctors, former athletes, and parents of concussed current or former athletes.