Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver - Youth Football Scenarios Project Overview and Goals Adolescents prefer independent decision making and rely on authoritative information and evidence to consider alternative options recommended by caregivers. Coaches are often not informed of concussions due to heading frequency in football. For example, the Scottish Football Association advises “low priority heading for youth” - 14s and 15s are to practice not more than one heading session per week. However, this has not been implemented and a coaching club typically has three sessions in one week. To assist this age group in assessing risk, the participation of sports authorities, academic authorities, and medical authorities is required, who in turn, may be supported by available research evidence base. An informed ecosystem will ensure young athletes know when to report a concussion and prioritize optimal health for smooth transition into emerging adulthood. This project is intended to inform of concussions from heading in youth football. The education is based on a comprehensive literature review based on evidence from the past five years.

1. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher /
Administrator) and Child Caregiver - Youth Football
Scenarios
Safia Fatima Mohiuddin
Researcher and Scientific Writer
Contact Information: safia_fatima@yahoo.com; safia.fatima@gmail.com;
+91 8019202091

2. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Overview of Concussion Reporting and Management
● The first step to concussion prevention is to follow recommended
regulations in heading that is age-appropriate (for example, in 14s and
15s, heading practice is not recommended more than once per week).
● In youth football, a suspected concussion that happens in a coaching
club is observed by a bystander, coach, caregiver, or player and
reported to the coach. The coach removes the player from play.
● Then the player is referred to a pediatrician who assesses the condition
of the player and makes the necessary referrals.
● Care coordination and management for concussions is undertaken
based on globally relevant protocols.
● The pediatrician in consultation with the specialist care team finally
makes the decision to return to sport (RTS) and return to learn (RTL).
● Thereafter, the academic institution and caregivers at the residential
setting have to support the player to full recovery as advised by the
pediatrician (such as reduction in screen time, rest, or
physician-supervised exercise).
● Baseline testing is done before and after season to check the cognitive
profile of a player and the pediatrician or specialist physician is
involved in interpreting the results.
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3. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
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4. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Information for Academic Authority and Child Caregiver
for Better Health and Learning Outcomes
Handout (Background Information): Football Heading Risk and Safety
Covers:
1. Babbs’ Experiment: The Physics of Heading a Football
2. A Nurse Explains Concussions: Information for Young Football Players
3. Stanford Team Studies Head Impact Kinematics: MiG2.0 Mouthguards to Measure Brain
Strain
4. Safety Equipment may not Reduce Risk of CTE: Camarillo’s Padded Helmet Test
5. Dealing with Pediatric Concussions: RTS Clearance Guidelines + Evidence-Based
Prevention
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5. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
eBook (Decision Support for Youth - Heading Incidence and Consequences
Deduced from Global Studies): Youth INFORMation Mini Newspaper
Covers:
1. Early Research on Heading and Risk of Recurrent Concussion
2. Research Evidence for Youth for Informed Decision-Making related to Football
Participation
3. Research on Link between Heading and Neurodegeneration
4. Evidence on Heading Incidence, Heading Ban, Purposeful Heading and Repeated Head
Impacts (RHIs)
5. Time Trends in Injuries, Indicators of Head Impact Injuries, and Risk and Modifiers of
Head Impact Injuries
6. Consequences of Concussions on Brain Function and Quality of Life (QoL)
7. Player Protection Strategies, Impact of Rule Change on Health Outcomes, Measurement
of Brain Strain, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
8. Sports Medicine Expert Guidelines for Concussion Examination, Diagnosis, and
Management, and Return to Sports (RTS) Protocol
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6. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Handout (Baseline Testing Protocols for Coaches, Academicians, Team
Physician, Child Caregiver, and Athlete Reference): Identification and
Baseline Testing for Concussions
Covers:
1. CDC "Heads Up" Concussion Guidelines
2. Scottish Concussion Identification Guidelines
3. Understanding and Measuring Brain Strain On Field
4. Importance of Baseline Testing
5. Popular Baseline Testing Tools
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7. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Detailed Notes for School Teacher / Administrator and
Child Caregiver
The Problem with Concussions and Sub Concussions among Youth
Football Athletes
● Research evidence indicates that heading leads to concussions and
subclinical concussions that are asymptomatic. Concussions lead to
transient loss of function, inflammation, and brain injury sequelae
overtime.
● Young athletes may face worse health outcomes due to the effect of
cumulative subclinical concussions (repeated head impacts) such
as problems with myelination and difficulty transitioning from
adolescence into emerging adulthood due to unhealed trauma.
● When an athlete experiences a concussion following another during a
short period there is an increased risk of second impact syndrome
with catastrophic consequences and increased mortality risk.
● Other common injuries requiring medical attention through the
developmental period include Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
injuries and growth plate injuries.
● Stress during emerging adulthood must be mitigated to protect
normal development processes
○ These processes promote synaptic pruning (removal of
synapses that are not used - a developmental process),
myelination (formation of myelin around nerve axons for
insulation with meline leading to for fast saltatory impulse
propagation), alterations in neurotransmitter density, white
and gray matter differentiation, programmed cell death,
gliogenesis (glial cell generation in the central nervous
system), and synaptogenesis (formation of synapses in the
nervous system).
○ The normal progression of these processes protects against
impulsivity, risk-taking behaviors, novelty seeking, and
emotional instability during the critical adolescence period.
○ Pediatric oversight during this period protects against major
chronic diseases and psychosocial impairments.
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8. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
○ Emerging adults (EAs) in post secondary education have
difficulty with persistence (meeting minimal academic standards
in post secondary education), and EAs with TBI have higher risk
of dropout. Neurorehabilitation following injury promotes the
attainability of a diploma.
Why Stakeholders Must be Informed
Stakeholders of this youth football ecosystem must be informed:
● To reduce risk
● To encourage concussion reporting
● To initiate preventive mechanisms
● To lead the young athlete to full recovery and successful
sportsmanship.
What Stakeholders Can do to Promote Positive Health Outcomes
among Youth Football Athletes
A change in attitude to organize the game around the best interests of every
athlete is needed with the participation of stakeholders of the soccer /
football ecosystem:
● The coaches and sports organizations who implement rules,
initiate rule change, help prevent concussions, and report concussions.
● The pediatricians and concussion care team who reward for
reporting concussions in an age-specific manner, diagnose, monitor,
and rehabilitate concussions and sub concussions, engage in clinical
decision making during baseline testing, make referrals for
rehabilitation services, issue return to sport (RTS) and return to learn
(RTL) clearance, and advise academic authorities until child’s
successful return to full academic workload.
● The academicians and caregivers, who under the oversight of the
pediatrician, implement gradual return to learn (RTL) protocol, initiate
educational initiatives to inform students and caregivers of concussion
risk and consequences, and report any new concussion cases to the
pediatrician.
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9. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Project Overview and Goals
Adolescents prefer independent decision making and rely on authoritative
information and evidence to consider alternative options recommended by
caregivers. Coaches are often not informed of concussions due to heading
frequency in football. For example, the Scottish Football Association advises
“low priority heading for youth” - 14s and 15s are to practice not more than
one heading session per week. However, this has not been implemented and
a coaching club typically has three sessions in one week.
To assist this age group in assessing risk, the participation of sports
authorities, academic authorities, and medical authorities is required, who in
turn, may be supported by available research evidence base. An informed
ecosystem will ensure young athletes know when to report a concussion and
prioritize optimal health for smooth transition into emerging adulthood.
This project is intended to inform of concussions from heading in youth
football. This education is based on a comprehensive literature review based
on evidence from the past five years.
Author Information
Safia Fatima Mohiuddin
Researcher and Scientific Writer
MSc. Bioinformatics; Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management (USA)
Training Received for this Project
1. Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management, Union Graduate
College of Union University, Schenectady, NY, June 2011
2. Public Health 101 Series - Introduction to Public Health, CDC Train,
Nov 2023
3. Public Health 101 Series - Introduction to Epidemiology, CDC Train,
Sept 2023
4. HEADS UP to Youth Sports Coaches: Online Concussion Training, CDC,
Sept 2023
5. HEADS UP Concussion Training for Youth Sports Coaches, CDC, May
2023
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10. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
6. Risk and Evidence Communication in Public Health, University of
Cambridge - Winton Center for Risk and Evidence Communication, Dec
2023
7. Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury, Wicking Dementia Research and
Education Center, University of Tasmania, Aug 2023
8. WHO-ICRC Basic Emergency Care: approach to the acutely ill and
injured, WHO, Dec 2023
9. Trauma Basics for Youth Workers, Center for Adolescent Studies, July
2023
10. Introduction to Child Psychology, The Open University, Oct 2023
11. An Introduction to Social Work, The Open University, Oct 2023
12. Starting with Psychology, The Open University, Oct 2023
13. Concussion Management Implementation and ImPACT, ImPACT
Applications Inc, Sept 2023
14. ImPACT Pediatric Onboarding Bundle, ImPACT Applications Inc, Sept
2023
15. ImPACT Baseline Test Administration, ImPACT Applications Inc, June
2023
16. Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) - Parent or Caregiver, BC
Injury Research and Prevention Unit, BC Children’s Hospital, Jan 2024
17. Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) - School Professional, BC
Injury Research and Prevention Unit, BC Children’s Hospital, Jan 2024
18. Soccer Practice Basics, Jim Buchanan, Oct 2023
19. Developing as a Youth Football Coach, Anthony Johns, Oct 2023
20. Krausko Football Training Program, KrausKo Sports, Oct 2023
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11. Information for Academic Authority (School Teacher / Administrator) and Child Caregiver
Youth Football Scenarios
____________________
Copyright © 2023 by Safia Fatima Mohiuddin. All rights reserved.
No part of this content may be reproduced in any form - by electronic, mechanical, or
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author. All text and images are either in the public domain or copyright of the author.
Disclaimer
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covered. Facts & opinions are summarized and available as per date of writing indicated.
The author holds no responsibility for the content or evidence summarized or linked in
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About the Author
Safia Fatima Mohiuddin is a researcher and scientific writer with over a decade of
content development experience in Bioinformatics, Health Administration and Safety,
Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science.
About the Initiative
“The Rhythms of Al Musawwir” initiative is for pediatric concussion preparedness. It is a
health education campaign for disseminating information to the football athletic
ecosystem on preventing and managing pediatric concussions (Players, Caregivers,
Coaches, Policy Makers, Baseline Testing Providers, First Responders, Pediatricians,
Multidisciplinary Care Team):
[1] Risk potential, short & long-term consequences of football heading and contact
during sport
[2] Latest international football (heading) safety guidelines
[3] Concussion preparedness for Community First Responders (CFRs)
[4] Trauma-informed clinical guidelines, return-to-sport (RTS) and return-to-learn (RTL)
protocols for pediatricians
[5] Concussion management for the multidisciplinary care team.
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