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Behavioral treatment of children after severe head injury: a pilot study

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Abstract

Little has been written on the treatment of cognitive and behavioral disorders in children following serious head injuries with coma. We have used the behavioral modification method known as Token Economy in 20 head-injured patients having a mean age of 11 years. The treatment, which involved the children's families, proved at one-year follow-up to be highly successful in normalizing maladaptive behavior.

Sommario

Gli autori, analizzando la più recente letteratura sull'argomento, notano che vi è una relativamente scarsa attenzione rivolta alle conseguenze sul piano più prettamente cognitivo e comportamentale, in pazienti con grave trauma cranico e coma in età evolutiva.

Descrivono nel loro lavoro l'applicazione della Token Economy, una tecnica che fa capo ai metodi noti come Analisi e Modificazione del Comportamento, in un gruppo di 20 pazienti con trauma cranico chiuso con un'età media di 11 anni.

Il trattamento ha avuto, con un follow-up di un anno, un buon successo riguardo alla scomparsa dei comportamenti disadattivi residui dal trauma cranico.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servizio di Neuropsichiatria Infantile, Ospedali Riuniti Santa Chiara, 56100, Pisa

    Pruneti C. A. & Baracchini-Muratorio G.

  2. Istituto di Neurochirurgia dell'Università di Pisa, Pisa

    Cantini R.

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  1. Pruneti C. A.
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  2. Cantini R.
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  3. Baracchini-Muratorio G.
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Pruneti, C.A., Cantini, R. & Baracchini-Muratorio, G. Behavioral treatment of children after severe head injury: a pilot study. Ital J Neuro Sci 10, 491–498 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02333944

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