This review discusses the laboratory and clinical research supporting the rationale for the efficacy of donepezil (Aricept[R] USA) in enhancing cognition in autism, Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia. While preliminary animal models have shown effective,…

This annotated guide identifies and describes a variety of resources concerned with traumatic brain injury and developed by projects funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The guide includes listings for 9 books or book chapters, 13 fact sheets or brochures, 60 journal articles, 9 newsletters or…

Research has suggested the presence of subtle long-term cognitive changes in otherwise well-functioning individuals who have previously sustained a mild head injury (MHI). This paper investigated the long-term effects of MHI on visual, spatial, and visual-spatial short-term memory in well-functioning university students. Sixteen students who…

School success in the 21st century requires proficiency with expository discourse--the use and understanding of informative language in spoken and written modalities. This occurs, for example, when high school students read their textbooks and listen to their teachers' lectures, and later are asked to demonstrate their knowledge of this complex…

Background: The psychosocial impact of acquired dysarthria on the speaker is well recognized. To date, speech-and-language therapists have no instrument available to measure this construct. This has implications for outcome measurement and for planning intervention. This paper describes the Dysarthria Impact Profile (DIP), an instrument that has…

We find a spatially asymmetric allocation of attention in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) despite the lack of obvious asymmetry in neurological indicators. Identification performance was measured for simple spatial patterns presented briefly to a locus 5 degrees into the left or right hemifield, after precuing attention to the same…

"The Condition of Education" is a congressionally mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States. This document includes information from "The Condition of Education 2009" about children and youth with disabilities. The number and percentage of children and youth receiving special education…

This article was taken from a qualitative case study about Jason, a child who suffered from traumatic brain injury syndrome. This research focused on interactions among Jason, his classmates, his band director, his parents, and his school district. Jason encountered many challenges as a child with special needs in band. The purpose of this article…

This study examined sources of variability in physical activity (PA) of youth with developmental disabilities (DD), and determined the optimal number of days required for monitoring PA. Sixteen youth with DD wore two pedometers and two accelerometers for 9 days, including 5 weekdays (W) and 2 weekends (WK). A two-facet in fully crossed two-way…

Background: Executive control deficits are common sequelae of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The goal of the current study was to assess a specific executive control function, performance monitoring, in children following TBI. Methods: Thirty-one children with mild-moderate TBI, 18 with severe TBI, and 37 control children without TBI, of…

Elizabeth Wong, MT-BC presents tools and information designed to arm the entry-level music therapist (or an experienced MT-BC new to rehabilitation settings) with basic knowledge and materials to develop or work in a music therapy program treating people with stroke, brain injury, and those who are ventilator dependent. Ms. Wong offers goals and…

Presents a new approach in the evaluation and management of concussions from the athletic trainer's perspective. This quantifiable assessment technique provides more information on which return-to-play decisions can be made based on the athlete's symptoms and performance on objective tests. It can be used during initial sideline examinations as…

This article describes and evaluates a new technique for teaching students to interpret studies of patients with brain injuries. This technique asks students to consider how knives and blenders lose specific functionality when they are damaged. This approach better prepares students to make proper inferences from behavioral deficits observed after…

Some universities and colleges across the country are creating opportunities for young adults with significant disabilities to meaningfully participate in postsecondary education. Students with significant disabilities are now attending college classes with peers without disabilities either during or after high school. In this qualitative study we…

This is a tale of caregiving in two cities--and it was the best of times and the worst of times. In this article, the author describes the differences in the care given by nurses and social workers to her 90-year-old mother who died from metastatic colon cancer and to her husband who had traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident and was…