Feasibility of a Cognitive Intervention for Youth Post Concussion

Concussion, a form of mild traumatic brain injury, is one of the most commonly reported injuries in youth. While most recover quickly, a substantial subset (30-58.5%) report symptoms that persist at one month with a reported 11-14% who continue to report symptoms beyond three months. Currently, there are no evidence-based guidelines for treatment that address occupational (meaningful activity) concerns for youth who are slower to recover post-concussion. It is postulated that a top-down rehabilitation approach with metacognitive strategy training as the core of the intervention might be effective.The Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach is a metacognitive strategy training approach with a growing body of literature supporting it's value in improving participation in meaningful activity and achieving self-selected occupation-based goals for adults with brain injury and youth with moderate to severe brain injury.Given the long-term occupational concerns in youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms, and the lack of evidence based interventions for these youth, it is hypothesized that the CO-OP Approach may facilitate return to meaningful occupation in this population.

Inclusion criteria

• concussion diagnosed by a physician;
• presence of at least one post-concussion symptom for three months or more; -experiencing challenges with usual daily activities secondary to post-concussive symptoms;
• able to identify four or more occupation-based goals;
• 12-18 years of age;
• no concurrent serious medical or psychiatric diagnoses.
• has a parent who can support participation and participate in a post intervention interview

Exclusion criteria

• non English speaking