摘要:

This article describes the construction of the Profile of Functional Impairment in Communicaton (PFIC), a scale designed for the assessment of communication impairments following traumatic brain injury. The measure comprises 10 feature summary scales, assessing severity of impairment, and 84 specific behaviour items, assessing the frequency of specific communication impairments. To assess the psychometric properties of the scale, videotaped dyadic social interactions of 20 patients with traumatic brain injury were rated by eight trained raters. The feature summary scales were found to have acceptable inter-rater reliabilities, and high concurrent validity and internal consistency. Four case descriptions are presented to illustrate the clinical application of the PFIC. It is concluded that the PFIC is a useful measure for the identification of specific communication impairments in clinical practice.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124269

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Cumulative data from the Virginia Brain Injury Central Registry, which maintains information on persons presenting to the emergency rooms for evaluation and treatment of head trauma, were analysed for fiscal years 1988-1993. Persons age 40 years and younger represented almost 80% of all head injuries presenting to Virginia emergency rooms. Age-adjusted incidence rates were greatest for children under age 6 years (237/100,000 person-years), and least for persons age 40-69 years (56/100,000 person-years). Head injuries occurred 1 4 times more frequently in males than females, and male mortality rates were 1 6 times greater. Falls exceeded motor vehicle accidents as the most common cause of head trauma after fiscal year 1989 followed by assaults and sports/recreation-related injuries. Head injuries were most common in May through October, and early mortality rates increased progressively with age. Findings are contrasted with prior demographic and epidemiological studies limited to persons hospitalized following moderate to severe head trauma.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124278

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The purpose of this descriptive clinical study is to document the motor characteristics of patients in minimally responsive and persistent vegetative states. Twelve subjects, presenting a prolonged altered state of consciousness (x =7 82 years, range 2-27), aged 27-78 years (x =50, SD=15 26)were evaluated, using standardized protocols, on the following variables: passive range of motion, observed movements, reflexes, tonus, postural status and reactions. The subjects' level of awareness and responsivity were measured with the Coma/Near Coma (CNC) scale at each of the three data collection sessions. While group CNC scores were stable over the three sessions, fluctations in the level of awareness of individual subjects was recorded, confirming the heterogeneity of this clientele. Abnormal primitive reflexes were present in all subjects, with the flexorwithdrawal (75%), the tonic labyrinthine (36%) and the body-on-body righting reaction (25%) being the most frequently observed. All subjects presented altered tonus, considerable posturing and varied degrees of reduced range of joint motion. A range of abnormal (e.g. chewing, clonus) and normal patterned (e.g. bridging, scratching) movement behaviours was recorded, but these did not translate into functional use, such as rolling. Collectively, the findings stress the complexity of the motor profile of patients in minimally responsive and vegetative states, and suggest the need for physiotherapists to become more actively involved in the evaluation and treatment of this clientele.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124287

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Parental stress and parental perception of children's behavioural problems were determined for 25 caretakers of children with closed head injury. Compared to normative samples a greater proportion of parents in this study were more stressed, and thought that their children were more behaviourally impaired. In contrast to previous studies, injury severity was not related to behavioural impairment. Parental stress was related to perceived behavioural impairment for the brain-injured sample. When compared to low-stressed parents (n =14), high-stressed parents (n =11) described their children as more aggressive and with more thought disorders and attention problems. Time since injury, age at injury, number of siblings, and mother's age were not different between the high- and low-stressed groups. Low income and less education were associated with the high stress levels in these parents. Test-retest data showed that, over time, parents perceived their brain-injured children as less behaviourally impaired.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124296

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124304

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

In the rehabilitation of severely brain-injured patients, solving urinary incontinence poses a therapeutic challenge. From this study it appears that incontinence does not always result from impaired neuropsychological functioning. If habituation procedures fail, an underlying organic cause (usually detrusor hyperactivity with synergic sphincter action) for persistent urinary incontinence can be demonstrated in a large number of patients. In patients with a severe pelvic fracture a pudendal nerve lesion must be ruled out.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124313

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Pre-injury cognitive data are rarely available for review for individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although pre-injury intelligence and academic scores may be available, particularly if an individual is learning-disabled (LD), data on specific cognitive abilities are unlikely to exist. We present neuropsychological data for a 15-year-old Caucasian female with a learning disability who was administered IQ testing 2 weeks prior to a significant TBI, as well as other measures of specific cognitive abilities (e.g. memory and perceptual-motor skills) throughout her education. Comparison of pre- and post-TBI data showed: (1) global and generally consistent decline in all cognitive areas and (2) relatively stable performance on tests of academic ability, supporting the validity of such test scores as estimates of premorbid intelligence.

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124322

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0269-9052    

DOI:10.1080/026990596124331

出版商:Taylor&Francis    

年代:1996

数据来源: Taylor