Activity Performance in Adolescents with Acquired Brain Injury, Assessed by Means of Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS)
Introduction: In the metropolitan Stockholm area the mean annual incidence of acquired brain injury is 500 / 100.000 in the age group up to 16 years. The occupational therapists at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital see these patients with ABI regularly in therapy sessions and assessments during their stay in hospital and at follow-up assessment. Many of the patients that come to the clinic for a follow-up assessment have problems in their daily activities mainly due to dysfunctions in cognitive functions. To assess these functions the occupational therapists use Assessment of Motor and Process Skills - AMPS which is a structured observation instrument with a set of predetermined activities. AMPS measures skills in motor and process functions.
Objective: Describe the activity performance in a group of brain injured adolescents through AMPS assessments.
Method: Altogether 24 adolescents (age 11 to 18 years) were included. On the basis of the GCS-score and the type of aetiology they were subcategorized as; severe TBI (12), mild-moderate TBI (7) and brain tumour (5). The assessments have been performed at follow-ups > 1 year after injury or illness.
Results: Eighteen out of 24 individuals showed some deficiencies in AMPS. Eight showed deficiencies in both motor and process skills. Eight had only process deficiencies. No patients showed only motor deficiencies. Six of the 24 adolescents showed no deficiencies in AMPS. The largest deficiencies where found in the group of patients with brain tumours. The patients with mild and moderate TBI had the least problems. All subgroups showed more problems with process skills than with motor performance.
Conclusion: In the studied group the deficiencies in process skills were more common sequelae than motor deficiencies. AMPS appears to be a feasible instrument for assessment of activity abilities in adolescents with acquired brain injuries.