Resources for Clinicians
Social Cognition
When we interact with other people, we make quick decisions about what is going through their mind, how they are feeling, and what they might do next. The collection of these processes is known as social cognition. Misunderstandings can happen to anyone but they can happen more often after a TBI – it can become more difficult for people to pick up the subtle cues that indicate what someone else is thinking or what they are planning to do. This can lead to problems for people in their social lives and so it is important we think about social cognition in rehabilitation.
General Overview
Meet the Expert: Social Cognition and Brain Injury - Professor Skye McDonald from the University of New South Wales provides an overview of her research and its aims within the field of social cognition as it relates to brain injury.
Expert Advice for Families Affected by Brain Injury - Professor Skye McDonald from the University of New South Wales provides expert advice for families affected by brain injury.
A Guide to Social Communication and Traumatic Brain Injury – A practical guide on social communication changes following TBI including outcomes, assessment, treatment, evidence base for clinical practice and application in clinical practice.
Cognitive Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury – A general overview of the common types of cognitive problems that can arise following a traumatic brain injury.
Coping Strategies for Cognitive Problems Following Traumatic Brain Injury – Common cognitive problems following traumatic brain injury and suggestions on coping strategies for particular problems.
Understanding and Managing Cognitive Changes After Traumatic Brain Injury – Workshop notes that provide information on how a traumatic brain injury can cause changes in a person’s cognitive functioning and corresponding compensatory strategies.
Understanding Brain Trauma – Moving Ahead Chief Investigators, Professor Skye McDonald (UNSW) and Professor Jennie Ponsford (Monash University), provide expertise regarding the mechanisms and rehabilitation that arise after a brain injury to Catalyst reporter, Dr Maryanne Demasi.
Understanding and managing traumatic brain injury – Moving Ahead Chief Investigator, Professor Jennie Ponsford (Monash University), provides a thorough overview of TBI, including – the mechanisms of injury, psychosocial outcomes, rehabilitation following TBI, future directions for brain injury research and more.
Working with people with TBI- Sponsored by the Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) in NSW, Australia, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Network exists to improve rehabilitation outcomes for adults, young people and children following traumatic brain injury (TBI). They do this by supporting clinicians and consumers to develop and implement best practice treatment across inpatient, transitional and community settings through providing self-study modules, toolkits, presenter modules and workplace learning resources.
The Caregivers Journey – The Journey Home website presents six video sessions with Tracy McGrew, a social worker, who guides caregivers of patients with traumatic brain injury through the journey ahead, providing them with challenges, tips and ways to advocate for their loved ones.
Assessments & Remediation
Assessments & Treatments for Social Cognition in TBI - Professor Skye McDonald at the University of New South Wales discusses various assessments and treatments for social cognition that clinicians can use when seeing patients with a traumatic brain injury.
The Awareness of Social Inference Test- Revised (TASIT- R) – Many clinical conditions including acquired brain injury, frontotemporal dementia, developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia lead to impairment in the ability to identify emotional expressions in others, deficits in the ability to understand the intentions and thoughts of others and problems understanding indirect language (such as sarcasm). These problems are disabling and a major target for remediation. TASIT was designed in 2011 by Moving Ahead Chief Investigator, Professor Skye McDonald along with researchers Flanagan, & Rollins to provide a systematic assessment of these difficulties using naturalistic video vignettes employing professional actors in everyday exchanges.
TASIT has three parts examining the ability to recognise basic emotions (Part 1) the ability to discern whether someone is being sincere or sarcastic (Part 2) and the ability to determine whether someone is lying or being sarcastic (Part 3). In parts 2 and 3 it is also possible to assess how well the participant can read the feelings, thoughts and intentions of the speakers.
TBI – Express: Social communication training for people with TBI and their communication partners – Moving Ahead Chief Investigators, Professor Leanne Togher, Professor Skye McDonald and Professor Robyn Tate, along with renowned researchers: Power, Ylvisaker & Rietdijk, developed this exciting new practical resource designed to provide speech pathologists and other health professionals with a comprehensive resource to improve the conversational skills of communication partners of people with TBI, and also to provide conversational skills training for people with TBI directly to improve everyday communication skills. Thus it entails two separate programs that are described in detail in a manual and CD. The program for Everyday Communication Partners (ECP) comprises seven modules over 10 sessions. Each module is divided into pre-session preparation (aims, resources to bring, what to do before, during and after the session), and appendices including participant and homework handouts). The program for people with TBI who attend treatment without a communication partner also comprises seven modules over 10 sessions. It is also divided into pre-session preparation (aims, resources to bring, what to do before, during and after the session), and appendices (participant and homework handouts).
TBI Express: From Research to Clinical Practice - Moving Ahead Chief Investigator Professor Leanne Togher from the University of Sydney discusses how TBI Express is informing clinical practice.
Social and Communication Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury (Brain, Behaviour and Cognition) – This book by Moving Ahead Chief Investigators, Professor Skye McDonald and Professor Leanne Togher, along with Dr Chris Code, covers topics from understanding how the brain damage occurs, how it affects social and communication skills and how these problems might be treated. As such it will be of great interest to clinicians, postgraduate and undergraduate students and researchers in neuropsychology, speech and language pathology.
Meet the Expert: Methodology and Outcome Measures for Brain Injury Research - Professor Robyn Tate from the University of Sydney provides an overview of her research and its aims within the field of methodology and outcome measures as it relates to brain injury research.
Measuring Outcomes from TBI - Find basic information on over 100 different instruments that measure outcomes in Global Function; Behavioural Function; Family Environment; Health Related Quality of Life; Social Participation; Language and Communication; Measures of Self; Neuropsychology; Psychological Status; and Social Cognition. Information includes reliability, validity, sensitivity to change, advantages and disadvantages. This is a joint project from the team at the Moving Ahead Centre for Research Excellence in Brain Recovery, in collaboration with expert researchers and clinicians experienced in traumatic brain injury from around the world.
Online Lecture Series: Understanding brain injury and how to work with people with ABI– Sue Sloan is a registered Occupational Therapist and Clinical Neuropsychologist. She has worked in brain injury rehabilitation for over 40 years and has developed a strong interest in long-term rehabilitation where individuals experience complex cognitive-behavioural problems. Sue has published a series of six online lectures exploring brain injury and how to work with people who have acquired brain injury.
ASSBI – Since 1978, Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) has provided a unique forum for multi-disciplinary research and clinical practice for Australasian professionals working in brain impairment by offering annual continuing education opportunities through training, workshops, webinars and resources including assessments, treatments and books.
Lash & Associates Publishing / Training Inc. – This publishing company is the leading source of information on brain injury in children, adolescents, adults and veterans for over 20 years. They provide practical and informative books, tip cards, manuals, tool kits, attention training, and cognitive rehabilitation programs on traumatic and acquired brain injury, concussion, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Written for survivors, veterans, families, clinicians, therapists, educators, advocates, and caregivers, their products can be used in hospitals, rehabilitation programs, community agencies, schools, private practice, and home.
Publications
2016
Honan, C.A., McDonald, S., Sufani, C., Hine, D.W., & Kumfor, F. (2016). The awareness of social inference test: development of a shortened version for use in adults with acquired brain injury. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 30(2), 243-264. DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2015.1136691
Osborne-Crowley, K., & McDonald, S. (2016). Hyposmia, not emotion perception, is associated with psychosocial outcome after severe traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychology, 30(7), 820-829.
DOI: 10.1037/neu0000293
Osborne-Crowley, K., McDonald, S., & Francis, H. (2016). Development of an observational measure of social disinhibition after traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 38(3), 341-353. DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2015.1115824
Osborne-Crowley, K., McDonald, S., & Rushby, J.A. (2016). Role of Reversal Learning Impairment in Social Disinhibition following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 22(3), 303-313. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617715001277
2015
Canty, A.L., Neumann, D.L., Fleming, J., & Shum, D.H.K. (2015). Evaluation of a newly developed measure of theory of mind: The virtual assessment of mentalising ability. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2015.1052820
Honan, C. A., McDonald, S., Gowland, A., Fisher, A., & Randall, R. K. (2015). Deficits in comprehension of speech acts after TBI: The role of theory of mind and executive function. Brain and Language, 150, 69-79. DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.08.007
McDonald, S., Fisher, A., & Flanagan, S. (2015). When diplomacy fails: difficulty understanding hints following severe traumatic brain injury. Aphasiology, 30(7), 801-814.
DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2015.1070948
McDonald, S., Fisher, A., Flanagan, S., & Honan, C.A. (2015). Impaired perception of sincerity after severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuropsychology. DOI:10.1111/jnp.12086
Ryan, N.P., Catroppa, C., Cooper, J.M., Beare, R., Ditchfield, M., Coleman, L., Silk, T., Crossley, L., Beauchamp, M.H., Anderson, V.A. (2015). The emergence of age-dependent social cognitive deficits after generalized insult to the developing brain: a longitudinal prospective analysis using susceptibility-weighted imaging. Human Brain Mapping, 36(5), 1677-1691.
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22729
2014
Kelly, M., McDonald, S., & Kellet, D. (2014). Development of a novel task for investigating decision making in a social context following traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 36(9), 897-913. DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2014.955784
Ryan, N.P., Anderson, V., Godfrey, C., Beauchamp, M.H., Coleman, L., Eren, S., Rosema, S., Taylor, K., Catroppa, C. (2014). Predictors of very-long-term sociocognitive function after pediatric traumatic brain injury: evidence for the vulnerability of the immature “social brain”. Journal of Neurotrauma, 31(7), 649-657. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2013.3153
Westerhof-Evers, H.J., Visser-Keizer, A.C., McDonald, S., & Spikman, J.M. (2014). Performance of healthy subjects on an ecologically valid test for social cognition: the short, Dutch Version of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT). Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 36(10), 1031-1041. DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2014.966661
2013
Beauchamp, M.H., Dooley, J.J., & Anderson, V. (2013). A preliminary investigation of moral reasoning and empathy after traumatic brain injury in adolescents. Brain Injury, 27(7-8), 896-902. DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2013.775486
McDonald, S. (2013). Impairments in social cognition following severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 19(3), 231-246.
DOI: 10.1017/S1355617712001506
McDonald, S., English, T., Randall, R., Longman, T., Togher, L., & Tate, R.L. (2013). Assessing social cognition and pragmatic language in adolescents with traumatic brain injuries. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 19(5), 528-538.
DOI: 10.1017/S1355617713000039
Rushby, J.A., McDonald, S., Randall, R., de Sousa, A., Trimmer, E., & Fisher, A. (2013). Impaired emotional contagion following severe traumatic brain injury. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(3), 466-474. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.06.013
2012
de Sousa, A., McDonald, S., & Rushby, J. (2012). Changes in emotional empathy, affective responsivity, and behavior following severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 34(6), 606-623.
DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2012.667067
McDonald, S. (2012). New Frontiers in Neuropsychological Assessment: Assessing Social Perception Using a Standardised Instrument, The Awareness of Social Inference Test. Australian Psychologist, 47(1), 39-48. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-9544.2011.00054.x
Evidence-Based Practice
PsycBITE™ is a joint initiative between Professor Robyn Tate (University of Sydney), Dr Michael Perdices (Royal North Shore Hospital), Professor Leanne Togher and Dr Anne Moseley (University of Sydney) and Professor Skye McDonald (UNSW). PsycBITE™ is a free database that includes all trials that have been published that evaluate treatment for any behavioural, communication, cognitive or psychological disorders arising from any form of acquired brain impairment in children (above the age of 5 years) and adults. As of July 2016 there are over 5000 treatment studies listed on PsycBITE™ with prospective searches being conducted on a regular basis. To enter the database click www.psycbite.com.
Click here to find out why PsycBITE™ is a useful resource for clinicians from Moving Ahead Chief Investigator, Professor Robyn Tate (University of Sydney).
The Risk of Bias in N-of-1 Trials (RoBiNT) Scale: An Expanded Manual for the Critical Appraisal of Single-Case Reports - The PsycBITE Group has developed the RoBiNT Scale that makes it possible to judge how well a single-case experimental study has been conducted. This scale not only helps readers judge how good a study is, but it also provides clear guidance in how to conduct a good study. The manual provides examples of good, mixed and poor studies, focusing on fifteen different aspects of a study, for example, whether the study used an acceptable design, whether raw data was provided, whether assessments were conducted in a non-biased fashion and how data was analysed.
Why is it important for clinicians to use evidence-based research in practice? - Professor Robyn Tate from the University of Sydney answers why it's important for clinicians to use evidence-based research in practice.
Value of Single-Case Research Design in Brain Injury Rehabilitation - Professor Robyn Tate from the University of Sydney discusses the value of single-case research design in brain injury rehabilitation.
Translating Single-Case Research into Practice: The Example of "Alan" - Professor Robyn Tate from the University of Sydney provides an example of how to translate single-case research into clinical practice using the example of "Alan".
The Evidence-Based Review of Moderate To Severe Acquired Brain Injury (ERABI) is a joint project to develop an evidence-based review of the literature for rehabilitation or rehabilitation-related interventions for acquired brain injury (ABI). The principle of the ERABI is to improve the quality of ABI rehabilitation by synthesizing the current literature into a utilizable format and laying the foundation for effective knowledge transfer to improve programs and services.
The Speech Pathology Database for Best Interventions and Treatment Efficacy, known as speechBITE, is a free searchable database on the internet designed to assist speech pathologists in evidence-based clinical decision making. Launched in 2008, speechBITE is a joint initiative between the University of Sydney and Speech Pathology Australia led by Chief Investigator Professor Leanne Togher. speechBITE has more than 3000 references from peer-reviewed published journals on treatment for communication and or/swallowing disorders across the lifespan. Methodological ratings for randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials and single-case experimental designs are also available on speechBITE. To enter the database click www.speechbite.com.
OTseeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other resources relevant to occupational therapy interventions. Most trials have been critically appraised for their validity and interpretability. In one database, OTseeker provides fast and easy access to information from a wide range of sources to inform occupational therapy.
PEDro is the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. PEDro is a free database of over 37,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. PEDro is produced by Musculoskeletal Health Sydney, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).
External Resources
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- Understanding TBI - The University of Washington MSKTC and the TBI Model Systems in the United States developed a four-part series designed to help consumers understand traumatic brain injury.
- TBI InfoComics - The TBI InfoComics are a project of the University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Model System study (TBIMS) in the USA, which began in 2013. The TBI InfoComics were created to educate survivors of TBI, their families and/or caregivers, and healthcare providers about common symptoms of TBI and how to manage them.
- Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr Glen Johnson from Michigan, USA, provides a clear understanding of what happens after a head injury and discusses commonly asked questions in his online book titled Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide. Dr Johnson wrote this book with the goal of better preparing the head injured person and family for the recovery that lies ahead.
- Understanding Brain Injury: A Guide for the Family - The Mayo Clinic in the USA developed this booklet contains information on the human brain, causes of acquired brain injury, the recovery process, and behavior, communication and physical changes after brain injury. It also outlines examples of stressful behaviours and situations that people with brain injury may experience.
- Brain Injury Australia - This acquired brain injury (ABI) advocacy body works at a national level to ensure that all people living with ABI have access to the support and resources they need to optimise their social and economic participation in the community.
- Synapse - Formerly known as the Brain Injury Association of Queensland, Synapse seeks to be the lead community-based organisation in QLD Australia providing support, advocacy and information to people with an ABI, their families, and to individuals or organisations that share the ABI experience in any way and for any reason.
- Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit - Located at Liverpool Hospital in NSW, Australia, the LBIRU has established a national and international reputation for outstanding research in the rehabilitation of people with TBI. This Unit not only provides rehabilitation services for people with TBI, but also provides various resources for people living with a brain injury and their families.
- BrainLink - Located in Victoria, Australia, this service is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people affected by brain conditions by providing information and support to those affected and their families. BrainLink has a library that offers books, articles and videos about children and young people with ABI and their families.
- The International Brain Injury Association - IBIA is dedicated to the development and support of multidisciplinary medical and clinical professionals, advocates, policy makers, consumers and others who work to improve outcomes and opportunities for persons with brain injury.
- Brain Injury Association of America - BIAA is the United States of America’s oldest and largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. Their mission is to advance awareness, research, treatment and education and to improve the quality of life for all individuals impacted by brain injury. Through advocacy, they help provide hope and healing to millions of individuals living with brain injury, their families and the professionals who serve them.
- BrainLine - This national multimedia project is a service of WETA, the public TV and radio station in Washington, DC. USA. BrainLine offers information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI, including a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury.
- Model Systems Knowledge Translation Centre (MSKTC) - The MSKTC is a national center in the USA that helps facilitate the knowledge translation process to make research meaningful to those with spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and burn injury (Burn).
- The Journey Home - The Centre of Excellence for Medical Multimedia’s Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) webiste provides an informative and sensitive exploration of TBI, including information for patients, family members, and caregivers. Topics include types and symptoms of brain injury, TBI treatment and recovery, and helpful insights about the potential long-term effects of brain injury. Animation is used to help patients clearly understand the brain, and the results of injuries to different parts of the brain. Survivors and their caregivers share courageous stories about their own experiences, providing down-to-earth facts along with inspiration and hope.
- Headway - the brain injury assocation - Headway is the UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury. Through its network of more than 125 groups and branches across the UK, it provides support, services and information to brain injury survivors, their families and carers, as well as to professionals in the health and legal fields.
- Understanding TBI - The University of Washington MSKTC and the TBI Model Systems in the United States developed a four-part series designed to help consumers understand traumatic brain injury.