Dual task performance and post traumatic brain injury.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To determine if people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) display deficits in dual tasking ability. RESEARCH DESIGN Observational and correlational research design used, to identify and describe the nature of dual task impairment in people with TBI. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Eighty-six people with TBI were assessed using a new standardized paper-and-pencil assessment of dual tasking ability and a number of other neuropsychological tests assessing attention, executive functioning and memory. MAIN OUTCOME AND RESULTS Twenty-three out of the 86 people with TBI (26.74%) performed below the cut-off for normal performance, suggesting that only one quarter of the TBI sample assessed had deficits in attentional control. CONCLUSIONS Deficits in task co-ordination are not a necessary consequence of TBI.