Health brain tumor
Mr. S. is a 17-year-old high school student previously in excellent health who has recently suffered a traumatic brain injury in an auto accident. At the time of the accident, he was not wearing a seatbelt and, therefore, sharply struck the windshield with his forehead and was unconscious for approximately 5 hours. He was transported to the hospital ER where CAT scans indicated brain tissue damage in the orbitofrontal area and also in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Following 1 week of observation in the hospital during which he seemed to improve to some extent, he was released to his family with follow-up visits scheduled with a neurologist. At home he did not seem to exhibit any obvious physical problems, although his ability to quickly respond to questions seemed reduced in speed, and he exhibited problems in planning his day when faced with several competing interests. His family has requested a neuropsychological consult to determine when he will be able to return to school. They are complaining of his lack of concern with social proprieties, as he is nonchalant and unconcerned when they try to seriously talk to him about his behavior. He also engages in hilarious laughter and crude joking with his siblings and friends. His parents have become unhappy with his recovery and would like to know when he will start being responsible again.First, discuss the use of tests of executive functioning such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (to test for perseveration and ability to change focus), the Trails A and B (test of ability to hold several tasks in mind at the same time as well as a test of cognitive speed), and the picture arrangement test from the WAIS-IIII Battery (test of social skills ability indicating whether the orbitofrontal area is damaged or not) to determine the extent of Mr. S.s changes in frontal lobe functionality. Within your answer, discuss how these tests indicate how decision-making and planning is affected by brain injury and how cognitive speed can be measured following frontal lobe injury. Finally, discuss the impact of orbitalfrontal injury-caused social problems.
Then, discuss the prognosis and course of rehabilitation for Mr. S