Premorbid Concussion and its Effects on Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Abstract

the reinforcer being sought. DRO provided positive reinforcement for desired behaviors. Main Outcome Measure(s): Primary outcome measures include the number of perseverations per day, number of other challenging behaviors per day, positive statements per day and social contacts per week. Staff attitudes toward the subject were also measured at baseline and at every 3 months during treatment phase. Results: Results of study indicated that the intervention RIRD/DRO significantly reduced daily perseverative episodes, reducing incidents from an average of 5.33 episodes per day to .74 episodes per day after one year. There was also a significant reduction in other challenging behaviors that were identified as attention-seeking in nature. Results also demonstrated a significant increase in daily positive statements, weekly social contacts, and improved staff attitudes. Conclusions: In this case, the RIRD/DRO intervention was successful in reducing perseverative episodes. Simultaneously, other maladaptive behaviors were also reduced and replaced with more positive statements and social behaviors. As the subject became less perseverative, staff attitudes toward the subject improved which likely contributed to more successful interactions. This study is limited in its generalizability due to single-case design, but suggests that further investigation is warranted to determine if results can be replicated.