SKILLS ADDRESSED
Cognition
Kirk sustained a severe brain injury in a devastating car crash four years ago, and it was one year before he could leave hospital. In addition to his physical problems, he experienced cognitive difficulties and struggled with day to day activities such as talking and writing. Over the years he has fought with determination to regain his independence, and today he is an accomplished creative writer who is writing his own story of success.
Like Kirk, most adults and children with brain injury experience problems with:
- Attention and memory
- Judgment, reasoning and new learning
- Organizational skills, insight and initiation.
Assessment is usually conducted by an occupational therapist and speech language pathologist team. Occupational therapists focus primarily on visual motor skills and the ability to participate in normal activities of daily living, while speech and language pathologists focus primarily on cognitive/communication skills. Testing includes standardized measures and clinical observation.
Our therapists also consult with assessing neuropsychologists from the community, who provide important information about diagnosis, prognosis etc.
Treatment often involved the use of rehabilitation coaching, to assist client to apply skills learned in therapy into their daily lives. Strategies include client and family education, cognitive remediation to enhance skill development (i.e. structured paper and pencil, computer and functional activities) and compensatory aids and strategies to improve independence and participation (e.g. paper and electronic organizers, digital watches with alarms and information storage capacity, plan/do/review strategy etc.).
Team members who address cognition include:
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Rehabilitation Coaches
All staff have at least three years experience working with individuals with brain injury (or they are closely supervised by a professional with that experience).
