B - 109 Neurorehabilitation in Pediatric Acquired Brain Injuries: the Need for More Evidence Based Research.

Abstract

Many children after sustaining an acquired brain injury (ABI) have noticeable changes in cognitive functioning (CF) making transitioning back to school difficult (Vanderlind et al., 2022). Neurorehabilitation helping to alleviate difficulties in CF are crucial to helping children succeed in school, however there is limited research on the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation in pediatric ABI's (Stark et al., 2020). This poster aims to highlight the current literature surrounding neurorehabilitation in pediatric ABI and recommendations for future research. Literature was obtained using PsychInfo and PubMed and searching keywords such as pediatric ABI, neurorehabilitation, and CF. Selected articles from 2000-2022 were reviewed and main findings were consolidated. Cognitive domains affected after an ABI include memory, executive functioning, and attention (Stark et al., 2020). Programs like AIM, NeuroPage, Captains Log, Cognitive Remediation Program, and MITII have been studied to test their effectiveness in alleviating these cognitive difficulties in pediatric ABI's (Linden et al., 2018, Wilson et al., 2009, Piovesana et al., 2017, Treble-Barna et al., 2016). According to the literature the only program that showed an improvement in CF was NeuroPage (Wilson et al., 2009). Research conducted on the efficacy of neurorehabilitation programs for memory, executive functioning, and attention in pediatric ABI's has shown mixed results. Due to the likelihood of children having difficulties in academic performance after an ABI, it is crucial that psychologists focus on research addressing the efficacy of interventions for these cognitive domains. Future research should focus on creating interventions that successfully target and improve CF in pediatric ABI.