Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

First Advisor

Mary Jane Collins

Abstract

Slow-to-Recover (STR) individuals are a subset of the neurologically impaired population who remain non-responsive for extended periods of time before beginning to demonstrate improvement in cognitive, communicative, or motor function. This investigation focuses on the development and implementation of a facilitator-based intervention program carried out with an STR brain injured adult residing in a long-term care facility. The model involved: (1) sensory stimulation techniques to increase responses to external stimuli, (2) augmentative techniques which enabled the subject to control his immediate environment and, (3) training of qualified residents within the facility to act as communication facilitators. Ethnographic procedures were employed in conjunction with quantitative measures over a six-month period to measure changes in the subject's functional abilities and describe overall changes in the communicative environment. Following eight weeks of communicative intervention, there were positive changes in the cognitive, motor, and communicative abilities of the subject that affected the interactive patterns and behavior of other participants. Results are discussed with regard to the contribution of each intervention technique in bringing about these changes.

ISBN

9780591133660

Pages

213

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.6264

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