title: Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment: A Rehabilitative Program for Traumatic Brain Injury Individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the efficacy of Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment (CPT), a new rehabilitation training program for improving communicative-pragmatic abilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CPT program consists of 24 group sessions, concerned with improving several communication modalities, theory of mind (ToM), and cognitive components that can affect pragmatic performance, such as awareness and executive functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 15 adults with severe traumatic brain injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Improvements were evaluated before and after training, using the equivalent forms of the Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo), a tool for evaluating comprehension and production of a wide range of pragmatic phenomena. A neuropsychological and ToM assessment was also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients' performance improved after training, in terms of both comprehension and production, in all the communication modalities assessed by the ABaCo, that is, linguistic, extralinguistic, paralinguistic, and social appropriateness abilities. The follow-up showed that the improvement of patients persists after 3 months from the end of the training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the CPT program is efficacious in improving communicative-pragmatic abilities in individuals with TBI, and that improvements at this level are still detectable even in chronic patients years after the injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Center for Cognitive Science, University and Polytechnic of Turin, Italy (Drs Gabbatore, Sacco, Angeleri, Bara, and Bosco); Brain Imaging Group (BIG), Koelliker Hospital, Turin, Italy (Dr Sacco); Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy (Drs Bara and Bosco); Centro Puzzle, Torino, Italy (Ms Zettin); and Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (Dr Angeleri).
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gabbatore
authors.forename: Katiuscia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angeleri
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zettin
authors.forename: Bruno G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bara
authors.forename: Francesca M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Bosco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D000067404:Social Communication Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult