Acquired Brain Injury
Conditions
Keywords
Occupational Therapy, Pre-Driving, Behind-the-Wheel Assessments, Driving Simulation
Brief summary
The aim of this project is to prepare adults with acquired brain injuries for on-road driving by using the driving simulator and increase participant's comfort level, confidence, and independence within their occupation of driving. The occupational therapy faculty are interested in identifying the impact driving simulation training has on individuals with acquired brain injuries and how it prepares them for on-road driving. We hope that the information from this project will help us gather information on how driving simulation training improves pre-driving skills related to comfort, confidence, and independence.
Detailed description
This is Phase 3 of a project that started as a capstone project in 2021 and continued with Phase 2 in 2022. . In this next phase,participants who qualify for the study will be invited to participate in the study and will be sent a consent form. They will be randomly assigned to either the driving simulator (eightsessions) or eight sessions of traditional occupational therapy as a control group. All participants will have pre- and post-testing using the same assessments. These assessments measure readiness-to-drive. All participants in the control group will be offered drivingsimulator training after completing the traditional occupational therapy sessions. All study participants will be referred to a certified driving rehabilitation specialist for behind-the-wheelassessments after completing of the driving simulation training
Interventions
OTHERDriving Simulation Intervention
The exercises and realistic driving scenarios on the Drive Safety R-300 simulator will enable participants to have an immersive driving experience with interactive traffic, scripted behavior models, and triggered events. The researcher will initially provide more guided feedback during the motor tasks using a series of exercises in the simulator. More difficult motor tasks will be introduced gradually. As clients' motor skills became more refined, driving practice will be introduced in diverse scenarios and environmental conditions to improve the transfer and generalizability of motor skills.
Traditional occupational therapy interventions are based on typical occupational therapy assessments which assess range of motion, strength, coordination, functional mobility and self care management. Participants will receive sessions that focus on their deficits based on their acquired brain injuries. The researcher will use occupation-based interventions to improve the participants performance in functional tasks and performance in areas of occupations such as self care, leisure, play, health care management, and work.
Sponsors
Sacred Heart University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adult participants over 18 years * Diagnosed acquired brain injury * A valid driver's license * History of driving prior to injury
Exclusion criteria
* Age less than 18 years * Moderate to severe cognitive impairment, as measured on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment * Visual acuity or visual field issues
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Useful Field of View Assessment | 8-16 weeks | This is a cognitive assessment that reliably predicts crash risk in drivers. There are 3 sub tests: Processing Speed, Divided Attention, and Selective Attention, which are measured in milliseconds (ms). The 3 sub-tests contribute to an Index score which ranges from 1-5 (Very Low Risk to High Risk of vehicular crash) |
| Motor Free Visual Perceptual Test | After 16 intervention sessions | This assessment measure is meant to assess visual perception independent of motor ability. The unit of measurement is age equivalent in years and months |
| Trails A and B assessment | 8-16 weeks | This are tests of speed for attention, sequencing, mental flexibility, visual search, and motor function. The subject is required to connect 25 encircled numbers by pencil line (Part A) and 25 alternating encircled numbers and letters (Part B) in correct order. The unit of measurement is seconds. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Behind-the-Wheel Assessment | 8-16 weeks | Participants will be referred to a certified driving rehabiliation specialist for a behind-the-wheel assessment after completing their 8 intervention sessions. The unit of measurement is Pass or Fail |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTSheelagh M Schlegel, DrHSc, MPH, OTR/L
CONTACTStefanie Seanor, EdD., MBA, OTR/L
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSheelagh Schlegel, DrHSc, MPH, OTR/L
Sacred Heart University
Outcome results
None listed