Computer-based cognitive retraining (CBCR) intervention has gained great popularity in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of skill generalization to daily living task for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) after completion of eight modules of a commercially available CBCR program, the Parrot Software. The study investigated changes in individuals' global cognition as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and changes in individuals' performance during a medication-box sorting task, a novel instrumental activity of daily living. The medication-box sorting task resembled real life medication management with daily prescribed and over-the-counter medications. Twelve individuals with ABI from a community-based program completed the study. Results indicated that CBCR intervention brought about improvement in global cognition, but the improvement did not appear in any particular cognitive domain. Additionally, the gains in global cognition failed to enhance performance in the medication-box sorting task. This exploratory study demonstrated that while CBCR may be a promising intervention for improving global cognition in individuals with ABI, additional intervention might be needed for generalization to occur to a novel daily task. Future studies should look for the ultimate therapeutic outcome from CBCR interventions or include interventions that could bridge the gap between CBCR intervention and performance improvement in daily living occupations.

Her guidance and support made the development and implementation of our research possible. She supplied the required knowledge and skills, which allowed us to integrate our vision for increasing the utilization of occupation-based assessments in the occupational therapy practice. She is an astounding professional mentor to us all. Without her, this thesis would not have been possible. We would like to thank the staff at the Brain Injury Network of the Bay Area (BINBA) for hosting our study at their facility and welcoming us into their community. A special thanks to Patricia Gill, M.S., MFT, director at BINBA, and Maggie Pesta, OTR/L, Director of Programs, for their consistent encouragement and support with recruitment and data collection during our study. We would like to thank Dr. Frederick F. Weiner, Ph.D., SLP, for the generous donation of a 12-month subscription to the Parrot Software program. We would also like to thank the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for permitting us to utilize the assessments in our study assessment. We would like to thank Mark McAlister for his assistance with the data analysis and organization of results. To our families, friends, and colleagues, we are fortunate to have such a magnificent support system. Most importantly, we would like to thank all of the participants. Their personalities and resilience inspired us, and their willingness to add to the research-base for the betterment of service delivery to those with acquired brain injuries warmed our hearts. May they find success and meaning in all their current and future occupations. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments .