Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN): Description and usability of app-based coaching intervention for adolescents with TBI

ABSTRACT

Background: Adolescents with brain injury (BI) often experience impairment in participation, which is an important predictor of outcomes. Objective: Describe the Social Participation and Navigation (SPAN) program, and report participant feedback and preliminary outcomes. Method: Four adolescents and four coaches participated. SPAN included a mobile app, online didactic information, and peer coaching. Adolescents met weekly with coaches via video-conference, developed participation goals, and plans to achieve goals. Social and behavioral functioning before and after was assessed, and feedback about SPAN was collected. Results: SPAN was well received. Participants used the app to define and achieve goals. Medium to large effect sizes were found on adolescent self-reported measures, with negligible effects on parent-report measures. Positive and critical feedback is described. Conclusions: Findings support the usability of SPAN, which has the potential to improve social participation of adolescents with a history of TBI through an innovative use of technology and peer coaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Pediatric traumatic brain injury
• peer coaching
• social participation

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank our participants and coaches for their time and important feedback. We also thank Michele Jacquin, graduate student at Tufts University Department of Occupational Therapy, who assisted with data collection and analysis.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133G130272. NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the USA. The contents of this manuscript were developed under a grant from the The contents of this manuscript do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133G130272. NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the USA. The contents of this manuscript were developed under a grant from the The contents of this manuscript do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should assume endorsement by the Federal Government.