A comparison of two assessments of high level cognitive communication disorders in mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Primary objectives: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently encounter cognitive communication disorders. Deficits can be subtle but can seriously influence an individual's ability to achieve life goals. Feedback from rehabilitation facilities indicated that high level cognitive communication disorders are not consistently identified in the acute setting. This study aimed to compare the cognitive communication results from two screening assessments, the Cognistat and the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT), in participants with a mild traumatic brain injury and to relate these findings to a range of prognostic indicators.

Methods: Eighty-three adults post-TBI (16–81 years; 79.5% males) were recruited at an acute trauma centre. The language components of the two tests were analysed.

Main outcomes and results: The CLQT identified more participants with an impairment in language than the Cognistat, 19.3% compared to 1.2% (p < 0.001). No clinical variables relating to the participants’ brain injury were found to be associated with language impairment.

Conclusions: This study found that the CLQT identified more individuals with high level cognitive communication deficits than the Cognistat in the acute setting.

• Assessment
• closed head injury
• cognitive
• language

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants who participated in the study and staff of the Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy Departments at The Alfred, particularly Michelle Farquhar and Rebecca Twigley.

Declaration of Interest: This research was funded by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria with the Sir Edmund Herring Scholarship.