ABSTRACT
At the time of writing we look ahead into the new millennium. In this chapter we have the freedom to gaze into our crystal ball and anticipate developments that may have occurred by the year 2010. To do this we will look at (1) scientific and technological developments, (2) service systems, and (3) staff training over the next 10 years. We intend to consider what may happen, what we can hope will happen, and what it will take to achieve these changes. Looking back over the last 10 years there have certainly been changes in each of these three areas. Perhaps some of the most significant developments are those that provide tools to make further advances. An example is the development of functional imaging from its infancy in the 1980s. Much work has been carried out over the last decade in cognitive neuropsychology although this perhaps has yet to reach its full potential. Further studies evaluating the efficacy of brain injury rehabilitation generally have appeared during the last decade. New and more sophisticated neuropsychological tests have been developed. Indeed with the advent of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales III, rather few tests remain from the neuropsychologist’s test battery of 10 years ago. Computer technology and its accessibility has developed in leaps and bounds during the 1990s. Yet this does not appear to have had as great an impact as was expected (Ager, 1991). Perhaps there is a time lag and the next decade will see full exploitation of the technological advancements made in the last decade.
