ABSTRACT
The goal of rehabilitation and intervention practices is to obtain the best outcome for the child/adolescent across cognitive, social, behavioural and functional domains. Children with early brain insult and developmental disorders are at elevated risk of social isolation and behavioural difficulties for a variety of reasons: physical limitations, cognitive impairments, inappropriate social skills, impulsivity and poor self-regulation, challenging behaviour. A range of intervention programmes have been developed to treat specific cognitive and behavioural impairments in the context of early brain insult. The neuropsychologist's knowledge of the impact of early brain insult on cognitive, educational, social and behavioural skills is central to the management of rehabilitation and intervention programmes. Neuropsychological approaches to rehabilitation and remediation for children with either acquired or developmental brain disorders usually fall into two broad categories: substitution and restoration of function. In the context of early brain insult, neuropsychological interventions targeting cognition most commonly target attention, memory and new learning and aspects of executive function.
