Effectiveness of Bridge/Adapt Program on Functional Skills Generalization After Acquired Brain Injury

Edgehill Mansion, Garden Room, Dominican University of California

Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience cognitive deficits that impair their ability to perform daily activities and negatively affect their quality of life. Computer-based cognitive retraining (CBCR) is a remedial cognitive rehabilitation intervention that has proven effective in addressing these cognitive deficits, but current evidence shows that improved cognitive skills do not generalize into functional performance. The Bridge/Adapt program was developed to promote generalization of learning by combining remedial and compensatory approaches. The purpose of our study was to determine the effectiveness of the Bridge/Adapt program in facilitating generalization of improved cognitive skills in individuals with ABI as measured by functional performance. This study utilized a single-group pretest-posttest design and three assessments as outcome measures: Cognistat, medication box assessment, and goal attainment scale. Three participants completed an eight-week program, with three weekly components: CBCR, group lessons on cognitive strategies, and homework based on a self-selected goal. Improvement was seen in memory and overall cognition; however, only one participant had an improved medication box assessment score. All reported exceeding their personal goal in a four month follow-up. Recommendations are provided for modifying the Bridge/Adapt program to potentially better facilitate generalization.