Memory training and behavioral rehabilitation of a severely head-injured adult.

Neuropsychologic and behavioral assessment data are presented for a severely head-injured adult who participated in both a memory training and a behavioral skills training program. The memory training was ineffective and did not appear to contribute to the successful community placement of this head-injured adult. Behavioral skills training produced improvements in adaptive functioning as assessed by the Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS); and it is argued that psychosocial and not cognitive factors may be crucial to the rehabilitation of head-injured adults. The development and evaluation of behavioral assessment and retraining methods is suggested as a promising direction for future research with head-injured adults.