[EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND DAILY FUNCTIONS, ROAD SIGN RECOGNITION AND DRIVING SELF-REPORT AMONG HEALTHY AND POST-STROKE...

Driving is an essential part of occupational performance. In determining potential driving competence, there is a lack of screening tools to ascertain who should be referred for further assessment in Occupational Therapy or at the Medical Institute for Road Safety.

To assess the relationship between executive-function, daily-functions and driving behavior measures in unimpaired and neurologically impaired populations.

Although the research findings were not statistically significant, the trend points to the correlation between executive-function measures and self-report driving ability. Road sign recognition tests and daily-functions were found to be potential screening tools for assessing driving potential, but a larger sample size is recommended to confirm results.

An exploratory study that included 19 subjects - 10 without neurological impairments - and 9 post-stroke. Self-report questionnaires on driving ability, executive-functions and daily-function were administered. Post-stroke subjects were also assessed on road sign recognition.

The research hypothesis was not confirmed. Three moderately correlated but statistically insignificant correlations were found: in unimpaired subjects between the driving self-report and functional status; in post-stroke subjects - between the driving self-report and self-monitoring and behavioral-regulation skills and in the road sign recognition tests - between executive and daily-function measures.

If the trends were strengthened in a larger sample size the use of driving behavior self-report questionnaires, executive-function, daily-function and road sign recognition tests as screening tools for the unimpaired and post-stroke populations would be effective/recommended.

Present findings of correlations between self-report of driving skills and behavioral regulation skills confirm previous research findings.