Tailored Executive Support for Studying (TESS)

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability in the United States. A challenging TBI symptom to treat is impairment of executive functions, the high-order brain processes that let people make plans and carry them out. Impaired executive function challenges college students as they try to complete study tasks like taking notes in class or reviewing for a test, but key to rehabilitation is the fact that every person is affected differently – experiencing related but different types and gradations of functional impairment. In the proposed work, SoarTech will leverage our research and technical experience in creating individualized computer systems to design TESS, a new system that supports study skills and can tailor its interventions, changing them to best fit the varied disabilities and needs of individual users. The research will build on the University of Central Florida’s leadership in situating clinical interventions in naturalistic settings in order to improve patient assessment, motivation, and transfer of training. With this research, we will help clinicians provide more personalized and effective care to more patients.