The pilot study determined the effectiveness of a cognitive skills training program on both the vocational retraining of five young adults with traumatic spinal cord injuries and learning difficulties and the adaptation process to an altered lifestyle required by permanent paralysis. After a 40-hour Instrumental Enrichment (IE) program, Ss showed significant gains in intellectual, cognitive and problem solving skills. Although behavioral observations indicated psychological and personality changes, these were not evidenced on formal measures. Gains over a wide range of abilities add support to the hypothesis that the IE program was responsible for the improvements in cognitive skills and more effective problem solving skills. Ongoing research is showing that such gains are reliable and are maintained at a 1-year follow-up. (Author/CL)