One of the great pleasures of parenting is watching children take to the athletic field or gym floor for the first time. It is a source of pride to see our kids become part of a team as their young bodies develop and their reflexes sharpen. But remember, their young brains are developing as well, and we need to treat head injuries, such as concussions, with as much care as we treat scrapes, bruises and the hurt that follows a tough loss.

These days concussions are taken much more seriously in sports at all levels than the days when football players and coaches joked about a guy “getting his bell rung.” “For youth, you want to be more conservative,” says Arkansas Sports Performance Center trainer B.J. Maack of treating concussions. Maack says it’s important to “take extra time, because you’re talking about a developing brain as opposed to an already developed brain.”

Heads Up

A concussion is a temporary loss of brain function that can occur with any head injury, whether the victim loses consciousness or not. And while most of the national focus has been on football, concussions can occur in any sport where there is physical contact.

“First off, one of the things to know is that the phrase ‘getting your bell rung’ means a concussion,” says Maack. “That’s a huge thing to get across. There’s no such thing as just getting dinged.”

Obviously proper headgear and mouth guards are important, and Maack advises teaching football players to tackle with their heads up instead of leading with the crown of the helmet.

But there is only so much one can do to prevent concussions, says Maack. Once they’re in the game, if a concussion is suspected, call the player off the field or court immediately. The Arkansas Activities Association, the governing body of scholastic sports in the state, has a number of concussion guidelines and adheres to the motto “When in doubt, sit ‘em out.”

“The problem is the second impact,” Maack says. “If you go back in and he gets hit in the head in that same spot, that’s when you’re talking about permanent damage.”

So how do you know if your child has experienced a concussion? Symptoms include headaches, sleepiness or difficulty getting to sleep, feeling confused or dazed, trouble concentrating, trouble with coordination and balance, memory problems (recalling what happened before or after the injury), slurred or nonsensical speech, nausea and vomiting, and unexplainable feelings of anxiousness or irritability.

If your child shows any of the following symptoms after a head injury, you should call an ambulance or take your child to the emergency room immediately: unable to be awakened, one pupil larger than the other, convulsions or seizures, slurred speech, appears increasingly confused, or restless or agitated.

Checking In

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3,900,000 sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year.

Most states now have laws addressing concussions and their treatment in youth sports and, in April, Arkansas passed Act 1435, which extends to non-scholastic youth sports and leans heavily on the concussion protocols put in place by the AAA last summer.

Because of the guidelines (found here), the AAA is recognized as a national leader in development and implementation of concussion protocols, which offer the best approach for caring for young athletes of any age, Maack says.

In addition to having parents sign information forms and mandating immediate removal from games, the guidelines offer a measured set of steps to take before allowing a youngster to return to action. Beginning with light conditioning and ending with full contact, the five steps are each separated by a 24-hour period and must include medical clearance.

“Because we know so much more, all we’re looking for is for people to use a little bit of common sense,” Maack says.

“Common sense,” he says, “is the best medicine regardless of what concussion laws are on the books.”

“If a kid has got a head issue and you look at him and go ‘Something is not right,’ get him out and don’t let him go back in.”

This story originally appeared on LittleRockFamily.com on Sept. 19, 2013.