Review of Brain injury casebook: Methods for re-integration to home, school, and community.

Reviews the book, Brain injury casebook: Methods for re-integration to home, school, and community by Dorrie Rapp (1986). Any professional who has been part of the difficult process of helping a brain injured individual re-integrate into life will undoubtedly find Dr. Rapp's book useful and timely. Recent head injury seminars have begun to focus directly upon the myriad of problems facing the traumatically brain injured when he or she begins to deal with life after traditional rehabilitation. Through the use of actual and often poignant case studies, Dr. Rapp illustrates the flexibility, creativity, and persistence necessary when working with the traumatically brain injured and their families. As we begin to grasp the complexity of re-integration for the traumatically brain injured individual, more documentation of the comprehensiveness of the problem needs to be published. Professionals working with the brain injured will find both support and new ideas from reading Dr. Rapp's book. The only criticism is that it does not delve into vocational issues which, by far, comprise a large portion of reintegration problems. However, professionals, care providers, brain injured individuals, families, schools, funding agencies, and employers can all obtain an excellent overview of the complexity of successful re-integration following traumatic brain injury. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Programming for occupational outcomes following traumatic brain injury".

Responds to an article Programming for occupational outcomes following traumatic brain injury by William J. Haffey and Frank D. Lewis (see record 1990-02644-001). The dramatic upsurge in attention paid in the past 10 years to the rehabilitation of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has resulted in an accelerating proliferation of treatment programs purporting to apply specialized techniques that will "remediate" the cognitive and behavioral deficits of this population, with implicit or explicit promises of functional gain. Specifically, given the epidemiologic realities of the TBI population, returning to work is a major goal of the rehabilitation process. With the movement of TBI rehabilitation programs out of academic medical centers and into the private sector, increasing numbers of zealous professionals are ready to apply a variety of treatment approaches, thousands of families are eager to find the "best" program, and more and more nervous insurers are both mandated and requested to pay for expensive treatments that hold out the promise of return to work. Unfortunately, the field of TBI rehabilitation has been more eager to provide services than critically evaluate the effectiveness of those services. The first major contribution of the Haffey and Lewis article is to call attention both to the paucity of posttreatment vocational outcome studies, and to emphasize the need to evaluate the success of various models of vocational rehabilitation. The second major contribution of the Haffey and Lewis article is their offering of a concrete example of one approach to systematic programming for vocational outcomes. Our experience is that vocational potential—and therefore reasonable goals—only emerge as the product of a process that involves testing the client's capacities not just cognitively and behaviorally, but also his or her capacity to conform to a series of messages and procedures that will determine the viability of any given vocational plan. Readers should take from the concrete programming suggestions in this article the laudable objective of making vocational goals, obstacles, and critical events specific and public, but beware of mechanically applying the approach without appreciating the complex subtleties in enabling a brain-injured person to become a productive worker. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Care continuum in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation".

Comments on the original article "Care continuum in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation," by J. M. Uomoto and A. McLean (see record 1990-02670-001). As someone working within the insurance industry with the responsibility for purchasing services for TBI patients, I think that the TBI care continuum, as presented by Uomoto and McLean, represents a sensible response to a critical need. It does not offer, however, any specific information on what is effective and simply restates what has already been recognized by many in the insurance industry: head trauma rehabilitation is long, complex, multidisciplinary, intensely individualistic, and enormously expensive. The insurance industry is aware that a continuum care approach is necessary. Clearly, no one can dispute that treatment has to be ongoing and multifaceted to address a disability that has such a colossal medical, social, vocational, and psychological impact. In addition, the need for acute hospitalization, acute rehabilitation, and a protective environment to provide care and address basic needs is readily accepted. The problem for the insurance industry is what constitutes effective treatment beyond the acute phase of trauma stabilization and maintenance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Brain Damage and the Mind.

Reviews the book, Brain Damage and the Mind by Moyra Williams (see record 1971-06870-000). Another of the excellent paper back series on special topics edited by experts in their respective field. Dr. Williams is Principal Clinical Psychologist, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. Contents include consciousness and mood, disorders of memory, disorders of perception, disorders of motor skill and verbal expression, and disorder of general intelligence and personality. Almost 200 research papers are integrated in these chapters and within 175 pages. One result is a density rather too high for casual reading. Worth the money. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents edited by M. Ylvisaker (1985). This is an edited text written by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians that provides a consolidated source of medical, psychological, and educational information pertaining to traumatic head injury (THI) in youth of use to a wide range of professionals. Part I deals with the pathophysiology and outcome of THI in children and adolescents. Part II addresses the family response to THI. Part III deals with the medical management of THI during the acute phase of hospitalization. Part IV addresses the physical rehabilitation of THI youngsters. Part V focuses upon cognitive rehabilitation and "cognitive retraining." Part VI covers behavioral and psychosocial issues and interventions. Finally, Part VII deals specifically with the educational and vocational rehabilitation of THI children and adolescents. This text comes close to painting a comprehensive picture of THI. The inclusion of practical data and specific recommendations makes this text relevant. The text also does a fine job of distinguishing THI youngsters from other classes of exceptional children while clearly pointing out that appropriate educational programs often do not exist for this unique group of learners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents by Mark Yivisaker. This book is intended to be a practical guide for professionals seeking concrete guidance in the difficult and frustrating search for effective treatment strategies for head injured patients. While maintaining a commitment to scholarship, the authors of the treatment chapters of this textbook have taken as their primary responsibility the clear presentation of a treatment philosophy as well as specific principles and techniques of remediation" (p. xvii). It is clear that the contributors of this volume, most of whom work together at the Rehabilitation Institute of Pittsburgh, labored long and hard to accomplish this goal and, as a result, they have produced a lucid and thorough volume. This book provides a very helpful and coherent account of pediatric head injury rehabilitation. No important topics are overlooked and, although some crucial areas are given fairly short shrift, the coverage is quite within the stated purpose of the work and the task that the authors set for themselves. I think that this book will prove to be a useful manual for neophytes to the head injury rehabilitation field, and to many parents of head injured children. It certainly should be required reading for all who choose to prepare themselves for professional work with head injured children. One final point: although not explicitly stated, the enormous investment of time and effort required by the head injured child and his or her family reflects a capacity that arises more from the heart than from the mind. This commitment can only come from a well-integrated and devoted team of professionals such as the group who authored this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Review of Pure types are rare": Comment on book review.

My book Pure types are rare: Myths and meanings of madness (see record 2007-08930-001) may have piqued some members of the mental health community; thus I was not entirely surprised by the caustic review that appeared in the January 1985 issue of Canadian Psychology, nor do I wish to engage the polemics or the personal asides therein. I am impelled, however, to respond to the allegation of "repeated failure of professional scholarship." The reviewer provides three substantive examples. In the first, he objects to the citation following my statement that post-mortem studies have failed to find neurological correlates of senile dementia, and implies that the study cited did find such correlates. Actually, the study was inadequate for the question inasmuch as statistics were not presented for senile dementia exclusive of other conditions, and normal controls were not used. The second maintains that I underestimated the significance of a concordance rate of 53% for the diagnosis of schizophrenia between two psychiatrists examining the same patient, and says it should actually be "somewhere beyond even the .00000001 level." My point, however, was that in vivo, where more than 50% of mental patients are diagnosed schizophrenic, a 53% concordance rate represents chance. Third, Professor Burd relates several sentences of mine to make it appear that I questioned the validity of the co-twin data on genetic factors in schizophrenia on the "curious grounds" that similar data have been obtained for a variety of behavioural and personality traits. I will comment on the statement "There are but a dozen references to articles in established professional journals." I did not attempt to deduce the criteria for "established," nor did I count journals, but I did ascertain that there were 112 citations in the text, comprising 80 separate sources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Driving, aging, and traumatic brain injury: Integrating findings from the literature.

Objective: In order to address the potential compounded risk in the population of aging traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors who continue to drive, the authors synthesized literatures regarding the impact of aging or TBI on driving. Study Design: PubMed searches were conducted utilizing combinations of the following terms: driving, aging, elderly, TBI, cognition, seizures, vision, hearing, rehabilitation, sleep, fatigue, and assessment. Additional sources were also identified from the bibliographies of articles obtained and the Transportation Research Information Service electronic database. Clinically relevant human studies written in English were reviewed. Results: Using a conceptual framework developed by W. H. Brouwer and F. K. Withaar (1997), the authors of the current review highlight driving-related obstacles for TBI survivors and aging adults and suggest that individuals aging with TBI may be at increased risk for driving-related problems. Implications: Areas for clinical consideration include seizures, sleepiness and fatigue, vision, cognition, driving assessment, and caregiver involvement. The need for further study of postacute driving assessment and rehabilitation is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral assessment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged.

Reviews the book, Behavioral assessment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged by Barry A. Edelstein and Eugene T. Couture (1984). Over the last decade or so, advances in assessment and management within clinical neuropsychology have had a profound impact on rehabilitation psychology. Barry Edelstein and Eugene Couture have edited this book out of a "long-standing interest in the retraining of traumatically brain-damaged adults and the management of their behavior by family members." The editors want to provide a reference that moves from standard neuropsychological assessment to issues of retraining of skill deficits. They hope that this volume will be useful to clinical psychologists, clinical neuropsychologists, rehabilitation medicine specialists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, and other rehabilitation disciplines involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social problem solving and community integration in postacute rehabilitation outpatients with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To enhance understanding of the role that social problem solving (SPS) plays in community integration following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Study Design: Regression analysis. Participants: Forty-five adults with TBI participating in higher level outpatient cognitive rehabilitation and 15 uninjured adults. Main Outcome Measures: Measures of community integration, problem-solving ability, and SPS self-appraisal and performance. Results: Individuals with TBI demonstrated poorer problem-solving as measured by both neuropsychological and SPS methods; however, the largest effect' size was observed for SPS self-appraisal. Only SPS self-appraisal predicted a significant proportion of the variance in community integration. Conclusions: It is important to assess brain-injured persons' confidence in their ability to cope with problems. A focus on objective test scores alone may lead to underdetection of disabling problem-solving deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Rehabilitation with brain injury survivors: An empowerment approach.

Reviews the book, Rehabilitation with brain injury survivors: An empowerment approach by Christiane C. O'Hara and Minnie Harrell (see record 1991-97522-000). The authors' goal is stated as being a treatment/evaluation manual for traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors that corrects the frequent failures of traditional rehabilitation models, and describes an integrated, wholistic approach that can be implemented across settings and used by clients and treatment staff of all disciplines. The manual is published in a loose-leaf notebook format that has been adopted by rehabilitation workshop sponsors and publishers of computer software manuals. It contains five chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Evaluation; (3) Case Management and Treatment Planning; (4) Cognition; and (5) Emotions/Behavior. Of the 491 pages contained therein, there are 140 pages of text. The remaining pages provide a series of forms and checklists that are to be used for assessment, treatment, and program administration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pharmacotherapy for postacute traumatic brain injury: A literature review for guidance in psychological practice.

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to educate and guide the actions of rehabilitation psychologists by providing a summary of the current literature on pharmacotherapies and treatment effectiveness for the chronic sequelae associated with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). A number of medications are reviewed for use in treating deficits in arousal, cognition, function, and other problems associated with TBI. Findings for their use in this population are summarized. Cautions, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. Conclusions: Pharmacological management of chronic symptoms of TBI is commonplace in rehabilitation practice. Clear clinical guidelines for the use of pharmacotherapy in TBI are lacking, however, because of the few conclusive findings regarding the effectiveness of any particular agent. Rehabilitation psychologists frequently encounter patients treated with numerous medications and, therefore, need to be aware of potential effects on cognitive and functional abilities. Additionally, rehabilitation psychologists should be aware of available and empirically supported pharmacotherapies as they are in a position to comprehensively assess the patient and provide requested consultation to the treating physician concerning the patient's need for and likelihood of benefiting from various pharmacological agents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Review of Reading disabilities: The interaction of reading, language, and neuropsychological deficits": Comment on book review.

The book review by M. L. Simner and S. J. Lupker entitled Reading disabilities: The interaction of reading, language, and neuropsychological deficits (see record 2007-03865-001) by Donald G. Doehring, Ronald L. Trites, P. G. Patel, and Christina A. M. Fiedorowicz was generally characterized by a lack of appreciation of the complexities involved in reading disabilities research. The review reflected a poor understanding of the theoretical framework, and many comments were simply a reiteration of problematic areas the authors themselves discussed in the book. Further, the reviewers misinterpreted several issues. The main focus of the book was to present a review of the literature with respect to the development of the subgroup concept in reading disabilities, and specifically to present the data for three subtypes defined by Doehring and his colleagues. Another issue the reviewers address as a major concern is the validity of the subtypes. The last main issue of concern expressed by the reviewers involves the usefulness of subtyping as a means of understanding reading disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Review of Resistance: Psychodynamic and behavioral approaches": Correction.

Reports an error in "Review of Resistance: Psychodynamic and Behavioral Approaches" by Stuart W. Twemlow (Psychoanalytic Psychology, 1989[Spr], Vol 6[2], 237-240). In this review, the phrase "in his inimical style" (p. 238) should read "in his inimitable style." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2003-05429-011.) This three-part edited collection of chapters considers the problem of resistance in psychotherapy. The term is defined and considered from several radically difference psychological perspectives. The psychoanalytic approach in Part I consists of four chapters written by authorities in the field. The four chapters of Part II concern both cognitive and pure behavioral approaches. Part III contains eight brief chapters in which the authors were invited to comment on one author's contributions. In the main the authors remain focused and concise, but it is very obvious that resistance has a remarkably broad variety of definitions, and that some of these definitions are so different that the authors do not appear to be speaking of similar phenomena. What is also clear from this complicated edited collection is that the clinician needs to be much more flexible in his theoretical positions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Traumatic brain injury, polytrauma, and pain: Challenges and treatment strategies for the polytrauma rehabilitation.

Problem: Chronic pain conditions are common sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Unfortunately, the incidence of TBI among personnel deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) is significant, and there is growing evidence that ongoing pain, particularly headaches, will be a primary concern for these individuals. Objective: This article synthesizes empirical data from civilian and veteran populations and clinical experience with OEF/OIF personnel with polytrauma to provide recommendations for the assessment and treatment of chronic pain among those with TBI. Conclusions: The available data signal the need for the incorporation of early and aggressive pain management strategies into existing treatment models. Challenges to providing effective pain management for OEF/OIF veterans are numerous and include comorbid cognitive, medical, and emotional impairments that complicate readjustment to civilian life. It is likely that the problem of polytrauma pain and associated comorbid conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and postconcussive syndrome will require the development of integrated approaches to clinical care which bridge traditional subspecialty divisions. A proposed model of treatment is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Development of Time, Speed, and Distance Concepts": Correction to Siegler and Richards.

Reports an error in the original article by Robert S. Siegler and D. Dean Richards (Developmental Psychology, 1979, Vol. 15[3], pp. 288-298). The column headings of Table 1 on p. 291 are incorrect. Each pair of lines in the column headings represents the starting points, stopping points, and total distance traveled by the trains. The corrected table appears below. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1979-28311-001.) Used the rule-assessment approach to examine understanding of the concepts of time, speed, and distance in 36 5-, 8-, and 11-yr-olds and 12 undergraduates. Parallel tasks were developed for the 3 concepts that allowed specification of whether Ss were relying on time, speed, distance, end point, end time, beginning point, or beginning time cues in making their judgments. It was found that 5-yr-olds understood all 3 concepts in the same way: Whichever train ended farther ahead on the tracks was said to have traveled for the longer time, at the faster speed, and for the greater distance. Undergraduates, at the other extreme, understood all 3 concepts as distinct and separate ideas. The transitional period was marked by specific confusions among the 3 concepts: Time was regularly confused with distance, distance was confused with time, and speed was confused with distance and to some extent with end point. Both speed and distance concepts appeared to be mastered well before the concept of time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Home environment, self-concept, and academic achievement: A causal modeling approach": Correction to Song and Hattie.

Reports an error in "Home environment, self-concept, and academic achievement: A causal modeling approach" by In-sub Song and John Hattie (Journal of Educational Psychology, 1984[Dec], Vol 76[6], 1269-1281). The caption to Figure 3 on page 1271 is incorrect. "SOSC = social self-concept" should read "NASC = nonacademic self-concept." In addition, on page 1274 in the Results section, the reference to McDonald & Leong (1974) should have been deleted. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-15818-001.) Investigated the relation between home environment, self-concept, and academic achievement in 2,297 14-15 yr old Koreans. Data on Ss was collected in 4 different samples to test 4 structural equation models. Group 1 consisted of 537 males, Group 2 consisted of 537 males, Group 3 consisted of 611 females, and Group 4 consisted of 612 females. Results show that over the 4 samples, self-concept was a mediating variable between home environment and academic achievement. Results did not support the commonly held view that home environment exerts direct effects on academic achievement. Social status indicators had indirect effects on self-concept via family psychological characteristics. Academic self-concept affected academic achievement more strongly than did presentation-of-self or social self-concept. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)