Return-to-school
The resumption of low-risk school activities should begin as soon as the student feels ready and has completed an initial period of cognitive rest of no more than 24–48 hours following the acute injury. Long absences from school are not suggested, however, the return to school should be gradual and step-wise. Prolonged complete mental or physical rest (beyond 24–48 hours after the accident that lead to the concussion) may worsen outcomes, however, rushing back to school before the person is ready, has also been associated with longer-lasting symptoms and an extended recovery time. Students with a suspected concussion are required to see a doctor for an initial medical assessment and for suggestions on recovery, however, medical clearance is not required for a student to return to school. Since students may appear normal, continuing education of relevant school personnel may be needed to ensure appropriate accommodations are made such as part-days and extended deadlines. Accommodations should be based on the monitoring of symptoms that are present during the return-to-school transition including headaches, dizziness, vision problems, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and abnormal behavior. Students must have completely resumed their school activities (without requiring concussion-related academic supports) before returning to full-contact sports. Return-to-sport
For persons participating in athletics, it is suggested that participants progress through a series of graded steps. These steps include:

Immediately after injury: 24–48 hours (maximum) of relative physical and cognitive rest. Stage 1: Gentle daily activities such as walking in the house, gentle housework, and light school work that do not make symptoms worse. No sports activities.
About 10% to 20% of people have post-concussion syndrome for more than a month. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, memory and attention problems, sleep problems, and irritability. Rest, a previously recommended recovery technique, has limited effectiveness. A recommended treatment in both children and adults with symptoms beyond 4 weeks involves an active rehabilitation program with reintroduction of non-contact aerobic activity. Progressive physical exercise has been shown to reduce long-term post-concussive symptoms. Symptoms usually go away on their own within months but may last for years. The question of whether the syndrome is due to structural damage or other factors such as psychological ones, or a combination of these, has long been the subject of debate. Cumulative effects
As of 1999, cumulative effects of concussions were poorly understood, especially the effects on children. The severity of concussions and their symptoms may worsen with successive injuries, even if a subsequent injury occurs months or years after an initial one. Symptoms may be more severe and changes in neurophysiology can occur with the third and subsequent concussions. As of 2006, studies had conflicting findings on whether athletes have longer recovery times after repeat concussions and whether cumulative effects such as impairment in cognition and memory occur.Cumulative effects may include chronic traumatic encephalopathy, psychiatric disorders and loss of long-term memory. For example, the risk of developing clinical depression has been found to be significantly greater for retired American football players with a history of three or more concussions than for those with no concussion history.