TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY VOCATIONAL-REHABILITATION - PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FOR THE COWORKER AS TRAINER PROJECT

Persons with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) who return to work re present a group of consumers who may require high levels of interdisci plinary support and long-term maintenance. The coworker model, previou sly demonstrated to be effective for youths with cognitive and behavio ral deficits, was modified for use with new and returning workers with a severe TBI, even at professional levels of employment. Preliminary results show that coworker trainers learned to apply the basic teachin g sequence and basic organizational tools. Individual coworker salary subsidies to date have been under $400. Although natural supports of t his type may not be required for a majority of individuals experiencin g TBI, they appear to be extremely assistive for approximately one thi rd of all project participants.