Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Difficulties

Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Difficulties: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A large proportion of patients with ABI have cognitive deficits that affect the way they communicate. Cognitive difficulties with attention, memory, executive functions and so on affect social communication. Without successful social skills, a person may engage in conflicts, become isolated and be denied access to social and vocational opportunities. Internationally, several group interventions have been developed for treating social communication difficulties during the last years.

Group Interactive Structured Treatment (GIST) is a validated holistic multidisciplinary group treatment targeting social communication skills after traumatic brain injury. The main aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of GIST for improving social communication in persons with acquired brain injury, including TBI, stroke, tumor ect. Secondary the study aims to compare the standard GIST protocol to an newly developed intensive GIST protocol. Efficacy will be assessed immediately after intervention, but also three and six months after the intervention. The project is in line with international research efforts aimed to establish more knowledge about group treatment for persons with social communication disorders after ABI.

Inclusion Criteria:

• traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebrovascular accidents (stroke; CVA) patients with no concomitant diseases minimum 6 months post-injury
• The patient are experiencing social communication disorders
• The family member is experiencing the patients social communication disorders
• The patient is motivated and expresses a desire to change communication behavior
• One close family member is able to participate in the intervention process
• Adequate Norwegian language proficiency to participate in the group
• The patient experiences moderate to severe difficulties with minimum 3 aspects of communication assessed with La Trobe Questionnaire
• The patient have insight into their communication difficulties (minimum intellectual insight) assessed with Awareness Questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age <18 years
• Aphasia. Based on previous records.
• Major psychiatric disorder or reported ongoing alcohol or substance abuse
• Premorbid neurological disease or insult and/or comorbid neurological disease
• Impaired basic linguistic, mnemonic, motor, or perceptual function that can interfere with the ability to engage with the training or intelligence quotient (IQ) < 85