Updated concussion guidelines for youth returning to school

By Aaron Banse. his article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

PedsConcussion, a living guideline for concussion treatment and recovery for kids and teens, has updated its guidelines for returning to school. The guideline now states that students can return to school when cognitive activities do not make symptoms worse, even if symptoms are still present. Concussion Alliance would like to note that most doctors still advise that students wait until symptoms subsided to return to school, which is no longer evidence-based concussion management. 

The PedConcussion guideline also warns against staying away from school for more than a week and recommends a “step-wise” return to school. Students should receive accommodations or modifications to their schedule to “support a return to the school environment in some capacity as soon as possible” while minimizing symptoms.

The guidelines include links to documents that support the above recommendations, including Return to School strategies and template letters to communicate with the school about accommodations. We also recommend these Return to School guidelines and tips on our website.