All Articles by Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Ph.D

The recent move by the Princeton (NJ) school district to require headgear for all middle-school soccer, field hockey and lacrosse players has generated controversy. MomsTEAM's sports concussion neuropsychologists has concerns about the effectiveness of such headgear and says the focus needs to be on education, training, rules enforcement, and hiring more athletic trainers.

A leading sports concussion neuropsychologist and researcher provides her personal observations on the 4th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport, held in Zurich, Switzerland in November 2012.

Accessibility and reliability are two factors to be considered in the purchase of computerized neurocognitive testing programs.

A team approach to concussion management in youth and high school sports, which includes a sports physician, neuropsychologist and athletic trainer, is optimal, especially given the vulnerability of youth to traumatic brain injury.

Retiring from contact or collision sports due to concussion history can be emotionally difficult for both athlete and parent.  Athletes who  play other sports, have clear academic goals, high self-esteem, and supportive and responsible parents fare best.

Multiple concussions in high school athletes impair sustained attention and cognitive flexibility for a long period of time after the injury.  Youth athletes who have sustained two or more previous concussions but who do not report or demonstrate any physical, medical, or cognitive difficulties related to a history of concussion report significantly lower academic GPAs, and more concussion-related symptoms.

The best way to develop a plan to address the academic accommodations a student-athlete will likely need as he or she recovers from a concussion is for your child's school to consult with a neuropsychologist, says MomsTeam expert sports concussion neuropsychologist, Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Ph. D.

Adults involved in youth sports are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the quality of a child's sports experience. To create a positive sports environment for youth athletes to ensure they have fun, parents need to ask six key questions.