__________________________ Little League Concussion Information Sheet Why am I getting this information sheet?
You are receiving this information sheet about concussion because of California Assembly Bill 2007 (2016), which added Youth Sports Organization Concussion Protocol to Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code:
The law requires a youth athlete who may have a concussion during a practice or game to be removed from the activity for the remainder of the day.
Any athlete removed for this reason must receive a written note from a medical doctor trained in the management of concussion before returning to the activity.
Before an athlete can start the season and begin practice in a sport, a concussion information sheet must be signed and returned to the local league by the athlete and their parent/guardian.
What is a concussion and how would I recognize one?
A concussion is a kind of brain injury. It can be caused by a bump or hit to the head, or by a blow to another part of the body with the force that shakes the head. Concussions can appear in any sport, and can look differently in each person.
Most concussions get better with rest and over 90% of athletes fully recover. However, all concussions should be considered serious. If not recognized and managed the right way, they may result in problems including brain damage and even death.
Most concussions occur without being knocked out. Signs and symptoms of concussion (see back of this page) may show up right after the injury or can take hours to appear. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion or if you notice some symptoms and signs, seek medical evaluation from your team’s athletic trainer and a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussion. If your child is vomiting, has a severe headache, or is having difficulty staying awake or answering simple questions, call 911 to take him or her immediately to the emergency department of your local hospital.
Our league has a Graded Concussion Symptom Checklist. If your child or you fills this out after having had a concussion, it helps the doctor, athletic trainer or coach understand how he or she is feeling and hopefully shows improvement. We ask that you have your child fill out the checklist at the start of the season even before a concussion has occurred so that we can understand if some symptoms such as headache might be a part of his or her everyday life. We call this a “baseline” so that we know what symptoms are normal and common for your child. Keep a copy for your records, and turn in the original. If a concussion occurs, he or she should fill out this checklist daily. This Graded Symptom Checklist provides a list of symptoms to compare over time to make sure the athlete is recovering from the concussion.
What can happen if my child keeps playing with concussion symptoms or returns too soon after getting a concussion?
Athletes with the signs and symptoms of concussion should be removed from play immediately. There is NO same day return to play for a youth with a suspected concussion. Youth athletes may take more time to recover from concussion and are more prone to long-term serious problems from a concussion.