Implementation of an attention training programme with a sample of children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries in South Africa: A pilot study

ABSTRACT

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of implementing an attention-training programme for children who have sustained moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in a South African context. We compared the performance on the programme of children with TBI (TBI Intervention Group) to children who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD Intervention Group), a TBI Art group and a TBI No-intervention Group (n=5 in each group) in this preliminary study. Children in the two Intervention Groups participated in the “Pay Attention!” programme for 45 minutes twice a week for 12 weeks. All children were aged 6–8 years and underwent neuropsychological testing pre- and post-intervention. Behavioural data were collected from parents. Children in the ADHD Intervention Group showed individual clinically significant attentional improvements on measures of the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test II using the Reliable Change Index (≥ 2.58 SD). Despite mixed results, the pilot study demonstrates that implementing a cognitive rehabilitation programme in South Africa is feasible and necessary, despite limited infrastructure and access to resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Paediatric traumatic brain injury
• Cognitive rehabilitation
• Attention training
• South Africa
• “Pay attention!”

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust: [Grant Number 19860/01]; National Research Foundation: [Grant Number 89722]; University of Cape Town: [Grant Number Siri Johnson Award].