Purpose: Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) may encounter problems in cognitive-communication and pragmatic skills. This study aimed to investigate the effects of communication partner intervention (CPI) on cognitive-pragmatic skills in a case with TBI. Method: A 22-year-old female case with TBI and the case’s relative participated in the study. The case and her relative were assessed by using the Turkish versions of La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ-TR) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA-TR) along with subjective clinician evaluation at the third and sixth months following the incident. After the initial assessment, 14 strategies within the context of CPI were used over three sessions with the case’s relative. Results: The scores of MoCA-TR test and LCQ-TR increased following CPI. There were differences between the scores obtained from two applications in both assessment tools which reflected a positive improvement related to communication skills. Conclusion: In a case with TBI, CPI can be effective in supporting cognitive and pragmatic skills in the short term.
Keywords
traumatic brain injury, social communication, cognitive communication, communication partner intervention
References
American Speech Language Hearing Association (2020). Cognitive-communication referral guidelines for adults. https://www.asha.org/slp/cognitive-referral/
American Speech Language Hearing Association. (n.d.). Assessment tools, techniques, and data sources. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/late-language-emergence/assessment-toolstechniques- and-data-sources/
Dahlberg, C. A., Cusick, C. P., Hawley, L. A., Newman, J. K., Morey, C. E., Harrison-Felix, C. L. & Whiteneck, G. G. (2007). Treatment efficacy of social communication skills training after traumatic brain injury: a randomized treatment and deferred treatment-controlled trial, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 88, 1561-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2007.07.033
de Koning, M. E., Spikman, J. M., Coers, A., Schönherr, C. M. & van der Naalt, J. (2015) Pathways of care the first year after moderate and severe traumatic brain injury—Discharge destinations and outpatient followup, Brain Injury, 29, 423-29. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699052.2014.982188
Douglas, J. M., O'Flaherty, C. A. & Snow, P. C. (2000). Measuring perception of communicative ability: The development and evaluation of the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire, Aphasiology, 14, 251-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/026870300401469
Galbiati, S., Recla, M., Pastore, V., Liscio, M., Bardoni, A., Castelli, E. & Strazzer, S. (2009). Attention remediation following traumatic brain injury in childhood and adolescence, Neuropsychology, 23(1), 40- 49. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0013409
Goldblum, G., Mulder, M. & von Gruenewaldt, A. (2001). An examination of the impact of participation in a conversation group for individuals with a closed head injury, South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 48, 3-20.
Kavakci, M., Uysal, H. T., Köse, A. & Saatçioğlu, Ö. (2021). Reliability – validity and cultural adaptation of the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire in Turkish (LCQ-TR): Preliminary Findings, 14th Panhellenic– 1st International Congress of Speech and Language Therapists, Athens, Greece, 28 - 30 May 2021.
Malec, J. F., Brown, A. W., Leibson, C. L., Flaada, J. T., Mandrekar, J. N., Diehl, N. N. & Perkins, P. K. (2007).
The mayo classification system for traumatic brain injury severity, Journal of Neurotrauma, 24, 1417- 24. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2006.0245
Nasreddine, Z. S., Phillips, N.A., Bédirian, V., Charbonneau, S., Whitehead, V., Collin, I., Cummings, J. L. & Chertkow, H. (2005). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: a brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 695-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53221.x