This text-based course is a transcript of the seminar, “Cognitive Rehabilitation of Children & Adolescents (Part 2): Favorite Strategies” presented by Stephanie Mayer Volker, M.S., CCC-SLP.
>> Stephanie Volker: I am really excited to be back with SpeechPathology.com to talk about one of my very favorite subjects, which is strategy development for persistent cognitive deficits. How many of you have already viewed the first part of this presentation? I will be referencing it throughout. It seems that not many of you have, which is fine, because we will be going through some basic things, but if you do want to get into more detail about this process, that presentation is available on SpeechPathology.com (Course #5365 video; #5372 audio; #5410 text).
Today, very briefly, we are going to talk about the components of what cognitive rehabilitation is, in terms of the framework that we are going to put these strategies within. I am going to talk about my personalized step-by-step process that I utilize to develop strategies. We are going to talk a lot about some case studies and review a lot of practical strategies. Again, I will be referencing my other presentation, so if you feel like you want more information about this topic you can go to that one which gives a much more in-detail and in-depth discussion.
Efficacy of Cognitive Rehabilitation
Let’s start with the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation. I am sure many of you in your work places have been guided and really encouraged to utilize best practices. Efficacy is really important. It is a really hot topic right now, and I am happy to say that there is evidence supporting the use of cognitive rehabilitation. It is most pertinent because it has been studied the most in the areas of attention, memory, and executive function. There are some references at the end of this presentation that can help you, if you want to learn more or perform a literature search. Sometimes I will utilize some of the references in letters that I write to insurance companies or to schools. There is some efficacy information there for you.
Who Can Benefit from Cognitive Rehabilitation?
When we talk about cognitive rehabilitation, the question might be “Who benefits?” or “Who are we talking about?” in terms of the population that we serve with this process. There are two schools of thought. One is that it needs to be geared more toward anyone who has experienced a change or some sort of a reduction in their thinking or cognitive skills, maybe following a specific neurological illness or injury, or it could be anyone who has deficits in their thinking or cognitive skills. Obviously the second description is much broader, and it can include those children, adolescents, or even adults who have learning disabilities or degenerative disease processes, in addition to those with acquired brain injury. My experience leads me to believe that the second definition, the broader definition, applies. I have worked with children who have been internationally adopted, have ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, or even no specific diagnosis, but who really benefit from this process because it is very functionally based. It does not necessarily harness all its need on progress and underlying skills, but on the development of strategies for improved function, which is great.
