ABSTRACT
In clinical practice, a less detailed description of the deficit is often considered sufficient and existing standard clinical tests should prove adequate. These are available for the assessment of a wide range of cognitive functions and enable the therapist to identify impaired areas of functioning. The assessment which is carried out prior to remediation provides a profile of the brain-injured individual upon which rehabilitation plans are based. A second aim of assessment is to obtain information about preserved skills. Strengths are as important as deficits in planning the total rehabilitation programme. A third aim of the assessment is to identify factors which may affect the individual's ability to benefit from various types of intervention. Another extremely important aim of assessment is to provide a baseline measure of the level of functioning of the impaired cognitive systems which can be compared with the results of a similar assessment carried out following intervention.
