Conservative Management of Youth Concussions, More Education Needed, de Lench Says

Thank you for that kind introduction. It is indeed an honor to have been asked to participate in this conference and to speak to an audience filled with a veritable who's who in the world of concussions in sports. Since April is Youth Sports Safety Month this is a wonderful time to be talking about how to prevent and manage the concussions that our children are suffering in increasing numbers.

I view the subject of concussions from a perspective different from most of you: as a parent and mother, certainly, but also as the Editor-in-Chief and founder of an online publication that values teamwork among all the stakeholders with an interest in youth sports so highly that it is a part of our very name, and has made since our inception in 2000, youth sports safety an important part of our mission.

Over the next half hour I will offer some suggestions on how each of us — whether we be parent, coach, official, athletic trainer, clinician, current or former professional athlete, sports safety equipment manufacturer, whether we are here representing a local youth sports program, the national governing body of a sport, or a professional sports league, can work together with parents as a team to protect our country's most precious human resource — our children — against catastrophic injury or death from sudden impact syndrome or the serious, life-altering consequences of multiple concussions.