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Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment
Published on: June 1, 2015
Tailoring cognitive assistance for individuals with a traumatic brain injury using assistive technology for
Jeanne Pelletier1, Mireille Gagnon-Roy2, Hubert Kenfack Ngankam3
1Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Purpose:
Individuals with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently require cognitive assistance to engage in complex activities, emphasising the need for personalised support to enhance their independence. This study explored how occupational therapists use evaluation results to tailor cognitive assistance and translated these results into clinical reasoning ontologies that could be integrated into assistive technologies for cognition (ATCs).
Material And Methods:
Fifteen occupational therapists and occupational therapy master's students participated in focus groups presenting case studies of clients with moderate to severe TBI. Participants were asked how they would adapt cognitive assistance provided during interventions based on evaluation results and client characteristics. Thematic analysis was employed. Clinical reasoning ontologies were developed in interdisciplinary team meetings.
Results:
Analysing clients' behaviours and the assistance provided during an Activities of Daily Living evaluation, participants determined the minimum cognitive assistance required for clients to progress in their tasks. Therapists suggested using evaluation results to inform initial cognitive assistance while also considering task characteristics, the intervention session goal and the treatment approach. Adjustments were made to progress the assistance by observing difficulties and responses to assistance during both individual sessions and across multiple sessions. The ontology represents a customisable assistance model, allowing cognitive assistance to evolve according to the context and the user profile.
Conclusion:
This study presents ontologies reflecting the clinical reasoning used by occupational therapists to tailor cognitive assistance during interventions for individuals with a TBI. Further work is needed to enable the implementation of these clinical reasoning ontologies into ATCs.
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