It seems everywhere you turn lately, there's a story or report about concussions and student athletes.

It's about time.

For too long, kids have been patted on the backside and sent trotting back onto a field to "tough it out" for the team.

That's not to say that the adults in charge–coaches, parents, supervisors–are wrong. Most times, if a kid takes a hit or gets knocked around in a game, he or she sits out for a while, catches his breath and tells the coach, "I'm okay." And most times, they are.

But more in-depth studies and research has revealed that even a mild concussion is a brain trauma and, if not treated, can result in serious mental impairment down the road.

According to the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, approximately 10,000 sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries occur each year, with as many as 75,000 unidentified sports-related concussions occurring as well.

"The numbers are staggering," said Cindy Dittfield of Rehabilitation Specialists of Fair Lawn, which held a fundraising walk last weekend to raise awareness of TBI (Traumatic Brain injury).

Dittfield said the turnout for the walk was "tremendous," a sign that people are taking the issue seriously.

"We had former football players get involved as well as college sororities and other groups," she said. "It's such an important issue."

Indeed it is.

Concussions aren't merely a knock to the head. In lay terms, they are an injury to the tissues inside the head caused by a blow, shaking, or violent motion that makes the brain bump around inside the skull. At one time, a concussion was usually associated with a loss of consciousness.

But medical experts now report that most concussions do not involve loss of consciousness. Furthermore, they don't necessarily involve a direct blow to the head; an indirect blow elsewhere on the body, like the neck or torso, can transmit "impulsive" force to the head, causing a concussion.

So, how can a coach know when it's okay to send a kid back in to play?

Many youth and school athletic programs, including those in Fair Lawn, have implemented use of the ImPACT testing system, which is an assessment tool for young athletes who may have sustained a concussion or other brain injury. ImPACT–Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive testing–is a scientifically validated computerized evaluation system that allows trainers, coaches and team physicians to accurately determine a young player's ability to function following a concussion diagnosis. The 20-minute test measures a player's symptoms, verbal and visual memory, and reaction time, providing critical baseline information as well as comprehensive test results that can be sent to a neuropsychologist for evaluation.

Among the test components are assessing a player's attention span, memory, non-verbal problem solving and response time.

The topic of concussions and young athletes has become so prevalent in recent years that the NJSIAA (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association), the governing body of high school sports in the state, has mandated a policy for all participating schools regarding an athlete's return to a team following the diagnosis and treatment of a concussion.

It's about time, isn't it?