Objective Identify the most relevant clinical criteria that sports neuropsychologists use to determine recovery from sports concussion in youth and adults as current standard of care.

Design Descriptive study.

Setting Online survey link sent to sports neuropsychologists listed in the public membership directory of a professional organization.

Participants 46 practicing sports neuropsychologists (91.3% white, 60.9% male).

Outcome Measures Modal ratings (1= least important; 5= most important) of criteria that participants use to make recovery decisions.

Main Results ‘Back to work/school without accommodations,’ ‘No headache after neurocognitive testing,’ ‘Feeling 100% back to normal,’ and ‘No symptoms after non-contact exertion’ were the highest rated criteria for youth and adults (mode=5). ‘Physician examination without concerns’ and ‘Balance testing’ were the two lowest-rated items for both youth and adults (mode=2). More clinicians rated ‘Checking in with a family member’ higher for youth concussion (mode=4) than that for adults (mode=3). More clinicians rated ‘Neurocognitive testing back to normal’ higher for adults (mode=4) than that for youth (mode=3).

Conclusions There was considerably similar agreement in prioritizing criteria for how concussions are managed in adults and youth. However, the importance of considering family members’ opinions was greater and the utility of concussion testing was lower for youth management. The reliance on physician involvement in the recovery decision and the use of balance testing were perceived as least important for both youth and adults. Future studies should include greater sample size and ratings by other concussion specialists.