G233(P) Family support provision by the nursing team in neurorehabilitation following acquired brain injury (abi) in children and young people

Background/Aims Relearning to walk is an important goal for many children and young people after acquired brain injury. Rhythmic auditory stimulation uses rhythm to support gait retraining. Its efficacy has been shown for adults with acquired brain injury and children and young people with cerebral palsy. No studies exist for children and young people with acquired brain injury. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether the addition of rhythmic auditory stimulation to standard physiotherapy improves children and young people's gait speed and quality after severe acquired brain injury. Methods Four children and young people (aged 10–13 years) with severe acquired brain injury accessing residential rehabilitation were recruited to a multiple baseline single case experimental design study, AB design. During baseline (A) phase children and young people accessed standard rehabilitation (10 physiotherapy sessions per week). In the intervention (B) phase, 2 out of the 10 standard physiotherapy sessions were replaced with rhythmic auditory stimulation. Length of baseline was randomised and intervention phases were 4 weeks. The 10 m walk test and Edinburgh Visual Gait Scale were completed pre and post sessions biweekly. Data analysis including visual analysis of level, slope and trend of the data will be presented with the results of a test of statistical significance. Results Data collection will finish in December 2018. Early results indicate that the quality of walking improved more during the intervention phase than the baseline phase for at least one of the participants, and rhythmic auditory stimulation was equal to normal physiotherapy in the other participants. Statistical testing is required. Conclusions Early results indicate that rhythmic auditory stimulation is at least as effective as normal physio in improving the walking quality of children and young people with acquired brain injury, but this needs to be confirmed. Recommendations for clinical practice and future studies can be made based on the findings and experience of this study.

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Measuring changes in functional ability in older children and young people with acquired brain injury using the UK FIM + FAM

British Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1177/0308022617735036 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 81 (2) ◽

pp. 74-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dalya Austin ◽

Tai Frater ◽

Lorna Wales ◽

Carolyn Dunford

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Young People ◽

Functional Ability ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Older Children ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Measurement Tools ◽

External Responsiveness ◽

The Uk

Introduction There is a need for validated and responsive measurement tools to demonstrate changes in functional ability. Existing outcome measurement tools have significant limitations for children and young people with acquired brain injury (ABI). Aim This study examines the potential of the UK Functional Independence Measure + Functional Assessment Measure (UK FIM + FAM) to detect clinical change in older children and young people with ABI. Method This is a secondary retrospective pretest–post test analysis of 72 children and young people age 8–17 years. Internal responsiveness was examined using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and effect sizes indices; external responsiveness was examined in relation to the Neurological Impairment Scale (NIS) using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results Highly significant changes were detected from admission to discharge on motor, cognitive and total UK FIM + FAM scores ( p < 0.001). Medium to large effect sizes were found on the total scale indicating good internal responsiveness. There was a significant, negative correlation between UK FIM + FAM change scores and NIS change scores ( p < 0.01) indicating good external responsiveness. Conclusion The UK FIM + FAM was able to detect clinically meaningful change in functional ability in children and young people with ABI over 8 years. Further validity and reliability must be established before recommending its use in this client group.

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Supporting children and young people with an acquired brain injury (ABI) and their siblings: The experience of a camp for families with a child with an ABI

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation ◽

10.1080/09602011.2020.1731556 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Penelope Analytis ◽

Narelle Warren ◽

Jennie Ponsford

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Young People ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Children And Young People

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The presence of high level physical difficulties in children and young people with severe acquired brain injuries who regain independent mobility

International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation ◽

10.12968/ijtr.2018.0087 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Gemma Kelly ◽

Kathy Davis ◽

Lorna Wales

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Young People ◽

Brain Injuries ◽

Acquired Brain Injury ◽

Fine Motor ◽

Independent Mobility ◽

Motor Proficiency ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Severe Acquired Brain Injury ◽

High Level

Background/Aims Children and young people with acquired brain injuries take part in less physical activity than age-matched peers. A possible cause of this is reduced high level motor proficiency. This study aimed to determine whether children and young people who regain independent mobility following a severe acquired brain injury continue to experience high-level physical difficulties. Methods A retrospective review of routinely collected Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 assessments was performed. Descriptive data analysis of motor proficiency results, both overall and within the different subsections, was conducted. Results Out of 26 participants (5–17 years) with severe traumatic and non-traumatic acquired brain injury, 22 scored below or well below average in overall motor composite score. The mean standard scores across all participants in three of the subsections were below average: manual coordination 35.9; body coordination 37.1; and strength and agility 37.9. The only subsection that produced scores within the average for participants' ages was fine motor control (mean 41.8). Conclusions Children and young people demonstrate reduced motor proficiency following acquired brain injury despite regaining functionally independent mobility. Those not participating in physical activities should be screened for high level motor difficulties that may impact on their participation.

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