Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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Date of Graduation
Spring 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Advisor(s)
Cynthia R. O'Donoghue
Cara Meixner
Susan B. Ingram
Abstract
Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), individuals often face neurobehavioral challenges (e.g., aggression) that hinder treatment. Research on the relationship between communication disorders and maladaptive behaviors is limited. Participants from a convenience sample of two survivors of TBI, a caregiver, and a speech-language pathologist were interviewed about their experiences and perspectives. The interviews reflected focused questions that were congruent across participants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Each coder coded the transcriptions individually, they were then compared using consensus coding for reliability, and finally analyzed for emergent themes. The two most referenced themes were “Communication challenges” and “Changes through rehab”. “Communication challenges” served as an umbrella to the themes “Others to understand” and “Learn to talk”. As for “Changes through rehab”, “Independence” and “Talking” were most reported. “Impulsive” was the most referenced theme under “Behavior”. Other themes emerged but are tangential to the research question. The results from this pilot investigation provide an enriched insight to the experiences surrounding TBI. The promise of this concentrated sample size is a prelude to an expansive understanding of the relationship between communication and behavior.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Marena S., "Maladaptive behavior and communication disorders following tbi: Survivor, caregiver and speech-language pathologists' perspectives" (2017). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 276.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/276
