Journal of Exceptional Childre
Year:2019 | Volume:19 | Issue:3 |Papers Count:13

Objective: The effect of electronic puzzles on the reading performance of students with dyslexia in Gorgan, Iran was examined. Method: The present applied study used a quasi-experimental, pretestposttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of 255 female students with dyslexia aged 7-10 years visiting Shokoofa and Dena state-run clinics and Hekmat and Baran private clinics in Gorgan. A sample of 40 was selected, and 20 students were randomly allocated to the experimental and 20 to the control group. The data collection tool was NEMA reading test (Kormi, Moradi & Akbari, 2002) and the intervention tool was Tetris electronic game played for six sessions of 30 minutes for four weeks. Results: The analysis of covariance showed that electronic puzzles significantly improve the reading performance of female students with dyslexia. Conclusion: Electronic puzzles have the greatest impact on the components of "picture naming” , “ reading comprehension” , and “ word reading” . Thus, this intervention can be used for improving reading.

Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a differentiated curriculum model for gifted students in Isfahan, Iran. Method: A mixed-methods design was adopted in the design phase, and the Delphi method was used in the validation phase. The population in the design phase included all gifted students in the senior high-schools of Isfahan, and experts on curriculum design and teachers of gifted students in the validation phase. The sampling method was typical case and simple random sampling in the design phase, and snowball sampling in the validation phase. Semistructured interviews and a researcher-made questionnaire were employed to collect data in the design phase, while a researcher-made questionnaire was utilized in the validation phase. The reliability and validity of data were verified by member checks, content validity, construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha. Results: Results indicated that students regard their desirable content as having practical activities, paying attention to creativity, having specialized content, enjoying up-to-date scientific content, presence of supplementary textbooks, reasoning and logic behind the topics, and considering adolescents’ challenges, interests, and talents. Process should follow principles such as being applied, using teaching aids, active learning, allocating a special method for each subject, and teachers’ knowledge and personality. Product should follow principles such as continuous assessment, attention to creativity, applied evaluation, project-based evaluation, attention to technical principles of test development, and deep learning. Examination of the validity of the model showed that experts regard this model as having desirable validity upon omitting the special method for each subject, paying attention to creativity in all the elements of the curriculum, supporting independent learning in the process, and adding multiple evaluation and selfevaluation to the product of the curriculum.

Objective: The effectiveness of Fredrickson’ s positive thinking and Dweck’ s mindset program was examined on the psychological capital of gifted ninth-grade girls with test anxiety in Isfahan, Iran. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and two control groups. The population consisted all 450 gifted female students in the ninth-grade in Isfahan. After screening the students using the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), a sample of 45 students who obtained higher scores was selected and then randomly divided into the experimental group (n=15) for Fredrickson’ s positive thinking, the experimental group (n=15) for Dweck’ s mindset program, and two control groups (n=15 each). Each experimental group received eight sessions of intervention, while no intervention was offered to the control groups. All participants completed Luthans’ Psychological Capital Questionnaire on pre-/posttest. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA in SPSS-22. Results: There was a significant difference between Fredrickson’ s positive thinking group and Dweck’ s mindset program group with the control groups in terms of self-efficacy, resiliency, and optimism, with the two treatments proving effective, and the effects of the trainings on resilience and optimism were maintained on the six-month follow-up. Moreover, the results indicated the effectiveness of Dweck’ s mindset program on hopefulness on posttest and follow-up, compared to the Fredrickson program and the control groups, and this effect persisted on the follow-up. Conclusion: Using Dweck’ s mindset program and Fredrickson’ s positive thinking, we can influence the psychological capital of gifted students with test anxiety, which can in turn increase their efficacy and academic achievement.

Objective: The effectiveness of PCIT blended teaching (face-to-face and virtual) based on Eyberg’ s approach was examined on the behavioral disorders of preschool children in Tehran. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design on 30 mothers of preschool children with behavioral disorders (15 mothers in the experimental group and 15 in the control group). The mothers were selected through random cluster sample. Before the program, both groups completed Eyberg ECBI, Achenbach’ s the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the DSM5 criterion test. Then, the program was implemented in 14 session only for the experimental group, while the control group did not receive any treatment. For analysis, independent t-test and the analysis of covariance were used. Results: Our findings shows that face-to-face and virtual PCIT based on Eyberg’ s approach significantly decreased the behavioral disorders of preschool children. Discussion: Results indicate that as this program is effective for reducing behavioral disorders and can thus be implemented as a treatment model in preschools.

objectives: The aim of current research was to study the relationships between hope, self-efficacy and educational resiliencey with educational motivation of students with Physical Disabilities. Method: The desighn of research was a correalational type. The statistical population included all of the students with physical disabilities with normal intellegenge who registred at school in Tabriz City in 2018-2-19. In the same vein, by convinence sampling 90 students from this group were selected and Snyder’ s hope, Jinks & Morgan’ s self-efficacy, Conner & Davidson’ s resilience, and Harter’ s educational motivation inventories were used to gather the data. Results: The results revealed that there is not a significant relationship between hope and academic motivation in students with physical-motor disabilities. But there was a positive and significant relationship between self-efficacy and academic resiliancy with academic motivation. Conclusions: Based on the results of this research, due to the limited Pathway and agency thouths the disappointed students, easily lose their motivation and experience negative emotions, which leads to depression. Success is the most important source of academic motivation for students with physical-motor disabilities. Positive emotions benefit the resiliency of students with physical-motor disabilities, and it results in the improvement of their academic motivation.

Objective:The effectiveness of planning and monitoring strategy training on prospective memory rehabilitation was examined in children with high-functional autism.Method:In this experimental study,the ABAB single-subject design was adopted.A sample of 9 children aged between 7-10 years with high-functional autism was selected using purposive sampling.Each participant received 12 sessions of training on monitoring and planning strategy,three sessions per week,in 90-minute sessions.Kerns’prospective memory tasks,prospective memory rehabilitation protocol,The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC IV),The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ),and The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale were used for data collection.To analyze the data,visual analysis and Cohen’s D effect size were used.Results:The participants who had received the strategies of both tasks had a superior performance.All the participants showed a high effect size in event-based tasks,but only two participants in the mixed group and two participants in the time-based group obtained an average effect size in time-based tasks.Conclusion:Training strategies can play an important role in improving the prospective memory of children with high-functioning autism and enhancing their monitoring and planning for everyday tasks.

Objective: Motor skill learning is a major problem faced by children with developmental coordination disorder. The present study aimed at examining the effect of perceptual-motor training in combination with feedback on the reaction time and motor coordination of children with this disorder. Method: In this quasi-experimental study, 30 children with developmental coordination disorder were selected and randomly divided into three groups of self-controlled, examiner-controlled, and control. On the pretest, reaction time and motor coordination were evaluated using the total body reaction time and Lincoln-Oseretsky test, respectively. Afterward, the experimental group performed the practice protocol for 24 sessions of 60 minutes each. The posttest was performed similarly to the pretest. Data were analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Levene’ s test, Box test, ANCOVA, and the Tukey post-hoc test. Results: Results of ANCOVA showed significant changes in the reaction time and motor coordination variables both in practice (p=0. 004, p=0. 000, respectively) and group (p=0. 001, p=0. 003, respectively). The post-hoc test indicated a significant difference between the control group and the self-controlled and examiner-controlled groups in both components of reaction time and motor coordination. Moreover, the self-controlled and examiner-controlled groups were significantly different in static and dynamic balance (p≤ 0. 05). Conclusion: Perceptual-motor training in combination with feedback, especially selfcontrolled, versus pure exercise can result in better motor coordination and reaction time in children with developmental coordination disorder.

Objective: The effectiveness of Sina and phonemic composition methods in dysgraphia correction was compared in first and second graders. Methods: The design of the study was experimental with pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population included all students with dysgraphia in the first and second grades of primary schools in Tabriz, Iran. A sample of 45 was selected by random cluster sampling and randomly placed in three groups (15 in the intervention group by Sina method, 15 in the intervention group by phonemic combination, and 15 in the control group without intervention). Saif Naraqi and Naderi’ s Dictation Test and Raven’ s Progressive Matrices were administered. The experimental groups received the interventions for 15 sessions of 45 minutes, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed by the analysis of covariance. Results: There was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups on the posttest (p< 0. 001). Also, the results of the LSD post-hoc test showed that there was a significant difference between the posttest scores of the phonemic composition group and scores in the Sina group (p<0. 01). Conclusion: Both Sina and phonemic combination methods are effective in improving the performance of children with dysgraphia; however, phonemic combination is more effective in helping solve their problems.

Objective: Gifted students are the national capital of countries, and lack of attention to them can inflict them with psychological harm. This study compared the gifted and normal high-school students in terms of perfectionism, depression, and academic buoyancy. Method: The research method was causal-comparative. The statistical population included female high-school students in Khorramabad during the academic year 2017-2018. A sample of 100 was selected by cluster sampling and then divided into two groups of 50 (50 gifted students and 50 normal students, matched by parents’ level of education, socio-economic status of the family, and the number of family members). The questionnaire by Terry-Short et al. (1955), Beck Depression Inventory (1988), and Martin and Marsh’ s (2006) Academic Buoyancy Questionnaire were used to collect data. An independent t-test was performed for data analysis. Results: There was a significant difference between female gifted and normal students in terms of positive and negative perfectionism, depression, and academic buoyancy. There was a significant difference between mean negative perfectionism, positive perfectionism, academic buoyancy, and depression among the two groups. The results also revealed a significantly higher negative perfectionism and depression in gifted students than normal students. Moreover, the mean positive perfectionism and academic buoyancy was higher among normal students than gifted students. Conclusion: Results support the difference in perfectionism and depression among gifted and normal students, and attention to these variables in gifted students is of utmost importance.

Objective: students with dyslexic Learning disability have a lot of difficulties in school, home and daily life that makes them hard to academic progress and adapt to the environment. The relevance between reduction of learning problems, perceptual development, visual development, and cognitive development led to perceptual-visual activities play an important role in reducing reading problems. in this study we want to evaluate the effect of Frostig's perceptual-visual test on reading skills in dyslexic students. Method: The present study is a single-trial study using group time series (AB) design. The research sample consisted of three male students with reading disorder in the third grade of Khodabandeh elementary schools. The research data were collected using a checklist of dyslexia symptoms and a reading and dyslexia exam. Problem type assessment table is being used for analyzing the data's obtained from study. Results: Findings from the assessment of subjects 'reading difficulties before and after the exercise of Frostig's perceptual-visual activities show that perceptual-visual activities can partially correct the subjects' errors in each of the areas of cognitive accuracy, visual and auditory memory, visual and auditory clearance, sequences. Reduce visual and auditory. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that perceptual-visual development activities are effective in reducing reading problems in students with learning disabilities. Therefore, it is recommended that special education authorities take courses to enhance the skills of parents and trainers in these exercises.