Cognitive Communicative Challenges in TBI: Assessment and Intervention in the Long Term

Neurocognitive stall is defined as a failure or lag in achieving later emerging cognitive milestones, representing an increasing “gap” in neurocognitive, social, and educational functioning after early brain injury (Chapman, 2006). This paper provides an overview of the subject in regard to pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), briefly discussing both ineffective and proactive methods for detecting and monitoring later emerging deficits associated with neurocognitive stall. The paper concludes with discussion of an emerging intervention to mitigate impairments in higher-order cognitive skills and enhance learning efficiency, including suggestions for use in rehabilitation settings and within school environments.