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Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an international public health concern, particularly in lowand middle-income countries. Children who sustain TBIs typically have attentional difficulties, which disrupt the development and functioning of other cognitive, behavioural, and social skills. The aim of this...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Psychology
2015
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| _version_ | 1867613230537375744 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Lanesman, Talia |
| author2 | Schrieff-Elson, Leigh |
| author_browse | Lanesman, Talia Schrieff-Elson, Leigh |
| author_facet | Schrieff-Elson, Leigh Lanesman, Talia |
| author_sort | Lanesman, Talia |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an international public health concern, particularly in lowand
middle-income countries. Children who sustain TBIs typically have attentional
difficulties, which disrupt the development and functioning of other cognitive, behavioural,
and social skills. The aim of this research was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of
implementing an attention-training program for children who have sustained moderate-tosevere
TBI in South Africa, and to compare the efficacy of the program in two clinical
samples: children with TBI and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). Fifteen children aged 6 to 8 who sustained TBIs at least a year before were
recruited to form three groups: a TBI Intervention Group (n=5), a TBI Art Group (n=5)
and a TBI Control Group (n=5). Five children who had been diagnosed with ADHD formed
the ADHD Intervention Group. Children in the two Intervention Groups participated in the
‘Pay Attention!’ program (originally designed to assist children with ADHD) for 45 minutes
twice a week for 12 weeks. All children underwent neuropsychological testing pre- and postintervention
and behavioural data was collected from parents and teachers. Between- and
within-group analyses showed that children in the TBI Intervention group did not show
overall significant improvements in attention. However, children in the ADHD Intervention
Group showed individual attentional improvements on measures of the CPT-II, as well as
secondary gains in verbal memory. Nevertheless, implementing a cognitive rehabilitation
intervention in South Africa is feasible and necessary, despite limited infrastructure and
access to resources. Further research is required to better tailor interventions to the needs of
children with TBIs. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13716 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:50.328Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Department of Psychology |
| publisherStr | Department of Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13716 Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa Lanesman, Talia Schrieff-Elson, Leigh Clinical Neuropsychology Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an international public health concern, particularly in lowand middle-income countries. Children who sustain TBIs typically have attentional difficulties, which disrupt the development and functioning of other cognitive, behavioural, and social skills. The aim of this research was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of implementing an attention-training program for children who have sustained moderate-tosevere TBI in South Africa, and to compare the efficacy of the program in two clinical samples: children with TBI and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fifteen children aged 6 to 8 who sustained TBIs at least a year before were recruited to form three groups: a TBI Intervention Group (n=5), a TBI Art Group (n=5) and a TBI Control Group (n=5). Five children who had been diagnosed with ADHD formed the ADHD Intervention Group. Children in the two Intervention Groups participated in the ‘Pay Attention!’ program (originally designed to assist children with ADHD) for 45 minutes twice a week for 12 weeks. All children underwent neuropsychological testing pre- and postintervention and behavioural data was collected from parents and teachers. Between- and within-group analyses showed that children in the TBI Intervention group did not show overall significant improvements in attention. However, children in the ADHD Intervention Group showed individual attentional improvements on measures of the CPT-II, as well as secondary gains in verbal memory. Nevertheless, implementing a cognitive rehabilitation intervention in South Africa is feasible and necessary, despite limited infrastructure and access to resources. Further research is required to better tailor interventions to the needs of children with TBIs. 2015-08-12T04:06:07Z 2015-08-12T04:06:07Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13716 eng application/pdf Department of Psychology Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Clinical Neuropsychology Lanesman, Talia Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| title_full | Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| title_short | Implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa |
| title_sort | implementation of an attention training program with children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in south africa |
| topic | Clinical Neuropsychology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13716 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lanesmantalia implementationofanattentiontrainingprogramwithchildrenwhohavesustainedtraumaticbraininjuriesinsouthafrica |