Cognitive rehabilitation therapy of brain-injured students in a public high school setting.
Cognitive rehabilitation therapy is a systematic effort to assist brain damaged individuals in developing ways to compensate for cognitive deficits. Although this treatment is considered standard in a field of rehabilitation, access to services is limited by the availability of specialists. A model for bringing cognitive rehabilitation techniques to children with acquired brain injury within their own school setting is presented. A convenience sample of 10 public high school students with acquired brain injury received biweekly cognitive rehabilitation sessions for 20 weeks. Treatment was based on a developmental model of brain functioning. Treatments were provided by trained school teachers under the supervision of psychologists specializing in cognitive rehabilitation. Students were evaluated pre- and post-treatment using neuropsychological tests. After treatment, the students demonstrated a significant increase in general memory ability (p < 0.05). These gains were due mostly to increases in verbal learning ability. Integration of cognitive rehabilitation therapy with public school services is a significant step in providing this valuable treatment to a wider range of children with acquired brain injury.
Brett
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AW
Neuropsychological Services, Excellcare, Inc., Northbrook, IL 60062, USA.
Laatsch
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L
D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016896:Treatment Outcome