Environment effect on functional task performance in adults with acquired brain injuries: Use of the assessment of motor and process skills

Objective: To examine household task performance in both familiar (home) and unfamiliar (clinic) environments in adults with acquired brain injuries. Design: The research performed was a comparison study examining the effect of the environment on functional task performance. Individuals were evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills both in their homes and in an unfamiliar clinic setting. Participants: Twenty individuals with acquired brain injuries living in the community. Main Outcome Measures: The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, an observational; standardized, occupational therapy assessment tool, was used to evaluate household task performance. Results: Paired one-tailed t tests indicated a significant difference between home and clinic performance measures in process ability (t = -4.28, p = .00), but no significant difference in motor ability performance measures (t = -1.84, p = .410). Scatter plot analyses showed that performance scorns of 6 of the 20 subjects differed in a clinically meaningful way, and that instrumental activities of daily living motor performance stores for 3 of the 20 differed in a clinically meaningful way. Conclusions: Individuals with acquired brain injuries may be influenced by their environment when performing household tasks, although further study is necessary to determine the extent of the environmental effect. (C) 1998 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.