The cognitive tests and the Word Memory Test must be administered and normed by the clinician who is using the TBI ACTION website or by an associate. The questionnaires are administered and scored online. Persons with TBI assessed should be oriented to time, person, place, and situation. They should be able to tolerate a testing session lasting several minutes. Cognitive tests and the Word Memory Test should be administered before the website is accessed to administer the questionnaires. Order of administration is Word Memory Test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test, Part A, WAIS-IV Coding, WAIS-IV Letter Number Sequencing, and FAS Letter Fluency Test. None of the creators of this website has any financial interest in the Word Memory Test, WAIS-IV, the Heaton Norm Manual, or the Schmidt Metanorm Manual.
Administration instructions for Trailmaking Test, Part A, and the FAS Letter Fluency Test are partially provided in the Heaton Norm Manual (Heaton RK, Miller W, Taylor MJ, Grant I. Revised Comprehensive Norms for an Expanded Halstead-Reitan Battery: Demographically Adjusted Neuropsychological Norms for African American and Caucasian Adults. Lutz, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.; 2004). This Manual provides references for additional instructions if these are needed by the user. Note that Trailmaking Test Part B need not be administered to calculate the dimension score and cluster result. Raw scores are converted to T-scores using the norms in Appendices C, D, and E. The Heaton Norm Manual is available at: http://www4.parinc.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=RCNAAC.
(1) The IR, DR, and CNS scores are typed into the appropriate boxes. (2) The z-score for the RAVLT Trials I-V Total is entered. (3) The Trailmaking Test, Part A, T-score is entered. (4) the WAIS-IV scaled scores for Coding and Letter Number Sequencing are entered. (5) The FAS Letter Fluency Test T-score is entered. Once all scores are entered, click the GENERATE REPORT button.
Output will include: (1) A narrative case conceptualization including treatment options, (2) a figure showing the profile of the cluster most similar to your client on the 12 dimensions along with dimension scores for your client, and (3) a table showing your client’s scores on all 18 measures. For the figure, higher scores are always more “favorable.” So a high score on the memory dimension means that the client showed good memory. A high score on Emotional Distress means that the client is reporting low levels of emotional distress. By referring to this table, you can get a sense of how similar your client is to the cluster group and how he/she differs from the cluster group. For example, your client might have slower (lower) Cognitive Processing Speed than the overall group, but have stronger (higher) Economic and Family Support. Any questions or comments regarding TBI ACTION can be directed to Dr. Mark Sherer at Mark.Sherer@memorialhermann.org.