This qualitative study investigated written discourse in the form of personal letters written by ten people with aphasia following stroke and ten people with cognitive-language disorder as a consequence of traumatic brain injury, and compared their performance with 15 non brain-damaged writers. Personal letters perform the dual function of…

The influence of neurological and demographic variables on neuropsychological test performance was examined in 100 9- to 16-year-old children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Regression analyses were conducted to determine the relative contributions of coma, neuroimaging findings, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender to variance in…

The present study determined specificity and sensitivity to malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MND) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) for several Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Digit Span scores. TBI patients (n = 344) were categorized into one of five groups: no incentive, incentive only, suspect, probable MND, and definite MND.…

The relationship between transition planning/coordinating interventions and transition outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities was explored in this systematic review. A total of 31 studies intervening with 859 youth with a wide variety of disabilities were reviewed. Using the transition intervention framework of Kohler and Field (2003)…

While the positive uses for video games in an educational setting have also been established, the educational aim is usually made explicit. The goal of this research was to develop a video game wherein the educational aspect was implicitly embedded in the video game, such that the gameing activity remained interesting and relevant. Following a…

Perinatal brain injury in survivors of premature birth has a unique and unexplained predilection for periventricular cerebral white matter. Periventricular white-matter injury (PWMI) is now the most common cause of brain injury in preterm infants and the leading cause of chronic neurological morbidity. The spectrum of chronic PWMI includes focal…

The present study used well-defined traumatic brain injury (TBI) and mixed neurological (other than TBI) and psychiatric samples to examine the specificity and sensitivity to Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction (MND) of four individual California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) variables and eight composite CVLT malingering indicators. Participants…

This abstract summarizes recent statistics on the prevalence and causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the populations it affects, and the degree of disability it causes. Estimates are based on 1985-1987 data from the National Health Interview Survey, a household survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Analysis indicates: the…

A survey of Virginia's local school divisions was conducted to obtain data on the number of students in Virginia with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the nature of the services provided to them. A definition of traumatic brain injury is presented, and disorders resulting from TBI are listed, followed by a list of services required by this…

Discusses how treatment of memory disorders resulting from traumatic brain injury must extend beyond intervention strategies focusing on deficit reduction to embrace models centering on disability reduction. Disability oriented approaches that emphasize rehearsal and encoding strategies and the use of memory aids are described. (Author/CR)

Review of the cases of 95 fatal head injuries in children found that brain swelling could be detected as early as 1 hour 17 minutes postinjury using computerized topography scans. Results also suggested that a reported history of a lucid interval in a case not involving an epidural hematoma is likely to be false and the injury probably inflicted.…

A 44-item questionnaire consisting of teacher competency statements was completed by 54 educators of students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Competencies rated as most important for educators working with students with TBI focused on instructional strategies, program planning, and collaboration with other specialists. Respondents rated the…

Obscene verbalizations in an individual with traumatic brain injury were treated using stimulus fading as the singular form of intervention. Results of a functional assessment revealed the obscenity was maintained by negative reinforcement. Stimulus fading (the gradual reintroduction of instructional demands) produced immediate and substantial…

Two studies involving 164 employed adults and 30 brain-injured and 30 noninjured patients investigated a modification of the Cognitive Estimation Test of Shallice and Evans (1978). The normative and clinical data serve as a starting point for further validation of the newly developed measure. (SLD)

Two basic models are presented of emotional functioning as it is commonly considered relative to brain damage. Methodological concerns in the literature are reviewed, and issues of measurement are highlighted to demonstrate the importance of empirically defining the prevalence of emotional effects. (SLD)