Canadian researchers suggest concussions in children aren’t being taken as seriously as they should and recommend replacing the term with another that reflects the severity of the diagnosis.

A new study conducted by researchers from McMaster University, which is being published in the journal Pediatrics, suggests the term concussion should be replaced by the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury.

The researchers found youngsters diagnosed with concussions were released from hospital and sent back to school sooner than children diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury. The study’s lead author Carol DeMatteo said parents don’t take concussions as seriously as they should because they don’t understand that it’s a brain injury.

Dr. Karen Johnston, the director of the Sports Concussion Clinic at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, said educating doctors and parents about what a concussion is could be more important than changing the terminology.

The term traumatic brain injury is misleading, Johnston said, because brain injuries aren’t mild.

With files from the Canadian Press