Intervention for a modern day HM: Errorless learning of practical goals

Impairments in declarative learning are a common consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and limit participation in daily life for many survivors. Procedural learning and memory, however, typically are spared. In this article, we describe a memory therapy technique, Spaced Retrieval (SR), which is designed to capitalize on preserved procedural memory processes. SR is an errorless learning procedure previously reported to be effective for teaching practical goals to individuals with dementia. To illustrate the potential use of SR in TBI, we present the case of an individual with profound anterograde amnesia who received SR therapy via telephone. The positive results support future studies in TBI and suggest consideration of the role of errors in speech and language therapy. Copyright © 2005 by Delmar Learning, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.