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RLA Scale

The document describes 8 levels of response and functioning for individuals recovering from brain injuries. Level I involves no response, Level II is a generalized response, Level III is a localized response where the person begins to recognize people and follow simple commands. Level IV involves confusion and agitation while Level V is confused but not agitated. Level VI is confused but appropriate, Level VII is automatic but appropriate, and Level VIII is purposeful and appropriate where the person realizes they have a problem but is compensating and more flexible in their thinking.

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Leena Devi Krishnan
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836 views

RLA Scale

The document describes 8 levels of response and functioning for individuals recovering from brain injuries. Level I involves no response, Level II is a generalized response, Level III is a localized response where the person begins to recognize people and follow simple commands. Level IV involves confusion and agitation while Level V is confused but not agitated. Level VI is confused but appropriate, Level VII is automatic but appropriate, and Level VIII is purposeful and appropriate where the person realizes they have a problem but is compensating and more flexible in their thinking.

Uploaded by

Leena Devi Krishnan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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I.

No Response
A person at this level will:

 not respond to sounds, sights, touch or movement.

II. Generalized Response


A person at this level will:

 begin to respond to sounds, sights, touch or movement;


 respond slowly, inconsistently, or after a delay;
 responds in the same way to what he hears, sees or feels. Responses may
include chewing, sweating, breathing faster, moaning, moving and/or
increasing blood pressure.

III. Localized Response


A person at this level will:

 be awake on and off during the day;


 make more movements than before;
 react more specifically to what he sees, hears or feels. For example, he may
turn towards a sound, withdraw from pain, and attempt to watch a person move
around the room;
 react slowly and inconsistently;
 begin to recognize family and friends;
 follow some simple directions suck as "Look at me" or "squeeze my hand";
 begin to respond inconsistently to simple questions with "yes" or "no" head
nods.

IV. Confused-Agitated
A person at this level will:

 be very confused and frightened;


 not understand what he feels, or what is happening around him;
 overreact to what he sees, hears or feels by hitting, screaming, using abusive
language, or thrashing about. This is because of the confusion;
 be restrained so he doesn't hurt himself;
 be highly focused on his basic needs; ie., eating, relieving pain, going back to
bed, going to the bathroom, or going home;
 may not understand that people are trying to help him;
 not pay attention or be able to concentrate for a few seconds;
 have difficulty following directions;
 recognize family/friends some of the time;
 with help, be able to do simple routine activities such as feeding himself,
dressing or talking.

V. Confused-Inappropriate, Non-Agitated
A person at this level will:

 be able to pay attention for only a few minutes;


 be confused and have difficulty making sense of things outside himself;
 not know the date, where he is or why he is in the hospital;
 not be able to start or complete everyday activities, such as brushing his teeth,
even when physically able. He may need step-by-step instructions;
 become overloaded and restless when tired or when there are too many people
around; have a very poor memory, he will remember past events from before
the accident better than his daily routine or information he has been told since
the injury;
 try to fill in gaps in memory by making things up; (confabulation)
 may get stuck on an idea or activity (perseveration) and need help switching to
the next part of the activity;
 focus on basic needs such as eating, relieving pain, going back to bed, going to
the bathroom, or going home.

VI. Confused-Appropriate
A person at this level will:

 be somewhat confused because of memory and thinking problems, he will


remember the main points from a conversation, but forget and confuse the
details. For example, he may remember he had visitors in the morning, but
forget what they talked about;
 follow a schedule with some assistance, but becomes confused by changes in
the routine;
 know the month and year, unless there is a serious memory problem;
 pay attention for about 30 minutes, but has trouble concentrating when it is
noisy or when the activity involves many steps. For example, at an intersection,
he may be unable to step off the curb, watch for cars, watch the traffic light,
walk, and talk at the same time;
 brush his teeth, get dressed, feed himself etc., with help;
 know when he needs to use the bathroom;
 do or say things too fast, without thinking first;
 know that he is hospitalized because of an injury, but will not understand all the
problems he is having;
 be more aware of physical problems than thinking problems;
 associate his problems with being in the hospital and think he will be fine as
soon as he goes home.

VII. Automatic-Appropriate
A person at this level will:

 follow a set schedule


 be able to do routine self care without help, if physically able. For example, he
can dress or feed himself independently; have problems in new situations and
may become frustrated or act without thinking first;
 have problems planning, starting, and following through with activities;
 have trouble paying attention in distracting or stressful situations. For example,
family gatherings, work, school, church, or sports events;
 not realize how his thinking and memory problems may affect future plans and
goals. Therefore, he may expect to return to his previous lifestyle or work;
 continue to need supervision because of decreased safety awareness and
judgement. He still does not fully understand the impact of his physical or
thinking problems;
 think slower in stressful situations;
 be inflexible or rigid, and he may be stubborn. However, his behaviors are
realted to his brain injury;
 be able to talk about doing something, but will have problems actually doing it.

VIII. Purposeful-Appropriate
A person at this level will:

 realize that he has a problem in his thinking and memory;


 begin to compensate for his problems;
 be more flexible and less rigid in his thinking. For example, he may be able to
come up with several solutions to a problem;
 be ready for driving or job training evaluation;
 be able to learn new things at a slower rate;
 still become overloaded with difficult, stressful or emergency situations;
 show poor judgement in new situations and may require assistance;
 need some guidance making decisions;
 have thinking problems that may not be noticeable to people who did not know
the person before the injury.

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