Discourse-based treatment in mild traumatic brain injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Cognitive Rehabilitation

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently leads to significant discourse deficits, impacting linguistic and cognitive functions.
• Individuals with TBI often exhibit disorganized discourse, lacking information and containing coherence disruptions.
• Limited research exists on discourse deficits in TBI, hindering clinical guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a discourse processing treatment for improving discourse production in individuals with TBI.
• To assess the treatment's impact on the completeness and informativeness of discourse samples from TBI patients.

Main Methods:

• The study involved three participants with mild-to-moderate TBI using an A-B with maintenance design.
• Treatment incorporated functional practice, comprehension questions, story guides, and metacognitive/metalinguistic strategies.
• Discourse samples were collected at baseline, during treatment, and at one-week and one-month follow-ups.

Main Results:

• Participants showed modest improvements in discourse completeness and informativeness for treated elements.
• Two out of three participants experienced medium therapeutic effects on untreated stimuli.
• Error reduction in discourse was observed post-treatment, with some generalization effects.

Conclusions:

• Discourse processing treatment demonstrated small, yet persistent, therapeutic effects one month post-intervention in adults with mild-to-moderate TBI.
• The findings suggest the treatment's potential for improving discourse in this population.