Tadworth

Prolonged Disorders Of Consciousness PDOC, including Vegetative State and Minimally Conscious State lasting longer than four weeks, affect children and young people. Researchers are evaluating the Music Therapy Sensory Instrument for Cognition, Consciousness and Awareness MuSICCA, a childrens version of the adult Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness MATADOC. The study aims to determine the validity, reliability, and clinical usefulness of MuSICCA, addressing the lack of rigorously tested tools for diagnosing awareness in children with PDOC to improve care and treatment decisions. Participants aged 2 to 18, suspected of having PDOC, will be invited from medical facilities in English-speaking countries. Each participant will undergo up to seven assessment sessions over a maximum of three years. These include four MuSICCA sessions presenting visual, auditory, and tactile musical stimuli, and one session each for the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised CRS-R, ComaNear Coma Scale CNC, and Nociception Coma Scale Revised NCS-R. Assessments involve observing responses to stimuli and commands, with sessions recorded for analysis. During the study, clinicians will score behaviors using the MuSICCA and the three other scales, with data collected through forms and audio-visual recordings. Reliability will be tested by comparing assessments between different clinicians and sessions. Families and clinicians will complete questionnaires to evaluate the clinical usefulness of MuSICCA. Data will be securely stored and analyzed by an independent statistician, with no interim data analysis to reduce bias. Participation involves a single period of assessments lasting up to seven sessions.