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• Posted January 16, 2026

'If In Doubt, Sit Them Out,' Insists New Concussion Guidance For Parents

The bottom line for managing youth sports concussions is “if in doubt, sit them out,” new guidelines say.

Earlier recognition of a concussion — and removal from play — will help a young athlete more quickly recover and return to competition, according to an easy-to-follow guide published recently in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“If you're telling parents that you can reduce your child's recovery time by half, that's probably pretty good motivation to remove them and get them into a health care provider as quick as possible,” co-author Dr. John Leddy said in a news release. He’s a sports medicine physician at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo in upstate New York.

“They don’t have to diagnose it. They just have to suspect it,” Leddy said. “If they suspect it, then the advice is to take that athlete out of the sport, remove them from further risk, and get them seen by a medical professional who knows how to evaluate this condition.”

The new guide is specifically meant for parents and coaches and is written using accessible language that was vetted by average readers, researchers said.

The need for such clear guidelines can be found on any athletic field or in any gymnasium, said co-author Jaclyn Stephens, an associate professor and occupational therapist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Stephens said she sometimes gets asked to assess blows to the head at local athletic events, because some know she’s a concussion researcher.

“I'm able to provide more guidance than a non-trained professional, but as an (occupational therapist), I cannot diagnose concussions,” Stephens said in a news release. “And what happens when somebody like me is not at this game? How do we help parents and coaches feel more prepared and educated on what to do?”

Parents can help their kids even more by adopting a “safety officer model,” said co-author Jennifer Wethe, former director of the Mayo Clinic Arizona Concussion Program.

In that model, designated parents are trained in what to look for regarding concussion, and at least one is present during athletic events.

“Coaches are very busy. Getting this into the hands of motivated parents is how I think this information can make it to the grassroots level,” Wethe said.

“Don't underestimate the power of highly motivated parents who are concerned about something like this,” she said. “I see a lot of explaining away injuries unless there is something very specific to follow. Parents and coaches need a protocol, something they can go through step by step.”

These sorts of measures are needed for more than just football, researchers said. Ice hockey, biking, soccer, volleyball, rugby and even cheerleading can expose young people to concussion.

In fact, some studies have shown higher rates of concussion among female athletes, possibly due to differences in neck muscle strength, Stephens said.

“If we only think about concussion as a professional football problem, we're failing to consider female athletes,” she said.

More information

The BMJ has a concussion recognition tool for parents and coaches.

SOURCE: Colorado State University, news release, Jan. 13, 2026