The spontaneous expressive language abilities of 9 severely brain-injured children/adolescents and age- matched normal controls were examined over a 12-month period following injury. Subjects demonstrated improvement on the majority of measures, but only a few reached the level of their control subjects. Interindividual variability was…

Cognitive-communicative intervention with children and adults with head injuries should emphasize such aspects of cognitive functioning as the knowledge base and the executive system. Assessment and intervention should focus on realistic goal setting, planning, self-directing and initiating, self-inhibiting, self-monitoring, self-evaluating,…

The article discusses current instructional grouping methods typically used in physical education, as well as potential legal ramifications. Physical educators must carefully choose grouping strategies for how well they protect students and enrich learning experiences, not for convenience. (CB)

Forty-five parents or spouses of head-injured patients were studied to: (1) determine differences among various family types on clinically relevant dimensions of family functioning, based on Olson's Circumplex model, and (2) establish the validity of three assessment methods. Results showed family functioning to be an important factor in recovery.…

A study of the management of literacy needs of rehabilitation clients moving from the health sector back into the community is reported. Focusing on people with physical impairments or brain damage, the study examined what health professionals know about adult literacy programs, identification and management of literacy needs, and perception of…

In a year-long participant observation study of remediative action following child injury, 61 children ages 8 and 9 and their mothers wrote records and, in biweekly interviews, reported on more than 1,000 minor injuries. Found that remediative action was related to type of child activity and to mother's affect and beliefs. (MDM)

In a simulation, the lesioning of a connectionist model that maps orthographic inputs onto semantic features produces several counterintuitive behaviors that are also shown by acquired-dyslexic patients. The similarity strengthens the suggestion that the connectionist approach captures a key aspect of human cognitive processing. (SLD)

As people with disabilities gain greater access to the broader community, mental health counselors will be called on to differentiate between related and marginally related services. Using the example of spinal cord injury (SCI), dynamics of loss are discussed, illustrating how mental health counselors might work with clients with disabilities.…

This paper assesses the psychometric features of instruments used in assessing outcomes for survivors of traumatic brain injury, and describes a test development framework based on the principles of construct validity. This approach is seen to avoid common measurement difficulties. Emphasis is on cognitive and social dimensions of recovery.…

This article presents a definition of traumatic brain injury (TBI); describes problem behavioral characteristics of students post-TBI and some possible solutions; examines academic, social, emotional, and cognitive factors; and outlines interventions to assist teachers in working constructively with TBI students. (JDD)

Validity of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) intersubtest scatter as an indicator of cognitive impairment due to brain dysfunction was studied with 316 brain-damaged men. When compared with the WAIS-R standardization sample, intersubtest scatter was not greater for normal persons of similar intelligence quotient. (SLD)

This study of comprehension of metaphors found that 11 adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exhibited little difference in comprehension compared to that of 18 normal adolescents. Ten adolescents with language learning disability, in contrast, demonstrated significantly poorer comprehension of metaphors than did both the normal subjects…

The Finnish system for persons injured at work or contracting industrial diseases is compared before and after legislative changes made in 1982, focusing on rehabilitation client selection, rehabilitation method effectiveness, and long-term vocational and economic outcomes. Data concerning longer term outcomes demonstrate that rehabilitation is…

Data were collected retrospectively from insurance information forms and histories of 111 patients (ages 14-84) referred to physical therapy for evaluation of back and/or neck pain. Analysis indicated that patients with compensable (work-related or motor vehicle accident) injuries infrequently acknowledged prior episodes of back or neck pain. (JDD)

This overview of traumatic brain injuries discusses (1) incidence and prevalence; (2) characteristics; (3) the recovery process; and (4) educational/medical assessment, including premorbid functioning, current functioning, educationally relevant medical issues, and amount and type of family support. (JDD)