In this video, Beth Hansen, PT, DPT, explains the vital role families play in helping communication emerge for people recovering from a disorder of consciousness.
Beth describes how familiar voices, faces, and routines often help elicit consistent, meaningful responses that clinical staff may not see right away. By observing behaviors during visits and participating in therapy sessions, families can help identify early signs of communication that therapists can build on.
This video highlights the power of partnership between families and care teams—and how family involvement can accelerate engagement, understanding, and recovery.
Full-screen Title
How can families help develop communication with someone who is emerging from a disorder of consciousness?
With Beth Hansen, PT, DPT
Lower Third
Beth Hansen, PT,
DPT Therapy Manager,
Spaulding Brain Injury Program Spaulding-Harvard TBI Model System
Families are so important in pulling communication out of these folks. Often these patients don't know who we are. We're unfamiliar … the sound of our voice, our faces. And so families have a big role to play in being able to get behavior out of patients that maybe we wouldn't because we're so unfamiliar. And they can come to therapy, and they can participate and really help us to see the behaviors that they might see when they're here on visiting hours and not doing a therapy time. And when we do see those consistent, reliable behaviors with families, we can try to capitalize on that and see what we can do.
Produced by the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC), this story is part of the Recovering from Disorders of Consciousness Hot Topic Module. The content of this video is based on research and/or professional consensus. This content has been reviewed and approved by experts from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) centers, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, as well as experts from the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRCs), with funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The content of the video has also been reviewed by individuals with TBI and/or their family members.
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to replace the advice of a medical professional. You should consult your health care provider about specific medical concerns or treatment. The contents of this video were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPKT0009). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this video do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Copyright © 2026 Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC). May be reproduced and distributed freely with appropriate attribution. Prior permission must be obtained for inclusion in fee-based materials.
About the author: Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)
The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) is a national center operated by the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) The MSKTC collaborates with Model System researchers to translate health information into easy to understand language and formats for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and burn injury and those who support them.
