Empowering Exceptional Children
Year:2021 | Volume:12 | Issue:3 (36)|Papers Count:10

The purpose of the present study is to identify the challenges of students with learning difficulties in solving mathematical word problems based on working memory function. The subjects of this study were 7 students (2 girls and 5 boys), aged 7 to 8 years, who were identified as learning disabled in the Learning Disabilities Center of Takestan City, and voluntarily participated in this study. At the beginning, the forward spatial span, backward digit span, and forward digit span tests from the WISC-IV (Kamkari and Shokrzadeh, 2013) were applied to determine the working memory capacity of the students. Then, these students participated in the task-based interview and answered the "arithmetic" test items from Kamkari and Shokrzadeh (2013). After transcribing the recorded interviews, the data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. The results showed that students face five major challenges in solving word problems, which are "relying on fingers to calculate", "difficulty in performing mathematical operations", "difficulty in storing information", "difficulty in understanding the questions", and "difficulty in paying attention and concentration". The results of this study suggest that these students' greatest challenge in solving word problems is related to the defect of the phonological loop of working memory. Thus, it seems that students resort to the visuospatial sketchpad to compensate for this defect, which in turn leads to a greater strengthening of working memory. To strengthen the phonological loop, verbal working memory interventions are recommended, such as training mental repetition, repeating spoken sentences, listening to children's stories and poems in preschool.

The aim of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of orientation and mobility training program on psychological well-being of blind students in Isfahan. This research is quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. Twenty-four blind students were randomly selected from a school for the blind in Isfahan. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups and each group consisted of 12 students (6 girls and 6 boys). The experimental group participated in orientation and mobility training in 8 sessions (two sessions per week), while the control group did not. The Ryff (1989) Psychologı cal Well-beı ng Scale (PWBS) was used to assess all participants. Data were analyzed using multiple analysis of covariance with SPSS version 26. The results showed that the experimental and control groups had a significant difference in the variable of psychological well-being. Indeed, the orientation and mobility program had a positive significant effect on psychological well-being and the subscales of autonomy, environmental control, personal growth, positive communication with others, and self-acceptance in blind students (P<0. 001). Since the orientation and mobility program training improved the psychological well-being of blind students, the planning of such training programs as the orientation and mobility program plays an important role in the well-being of blind students.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Teaching Thinking Child Program on the relationship between mothers and their slow-paced child. The present study is quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design without a control group. The statistical population includes all mothers of slow-paced children aged 4 to 7 years in Esfahan. The sample consists of 30 mothers of children aged 4 to 7 years in non-profit special schools for children with learning disabilities in the 2019-2020 school year. They were selected through an available sampling method and agreed to participate in the “ Teaching Thinking Child Program” workshop. The research instruments were the Demographic Questionnaire and Pianta’ s Parent-Child Relationship Scale (CPRS). The intervention program was organized as a workshop in 9 sessions, one session of two hours per week. Data were analyzed with the paired Hotelling's T-square statistical analysis using SPSS software version 22. The results showed that the Teaching Thinking Child Program improved the relationship between mothers and mentally retarded and slow-paced children.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of visual transformation therapy with a cognitive information processing approach in improving children with cognitive dyslexia. The method of this study is quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. To select the statistical population, 140 students aged 7-9 years with specific learning disabilities who presented to Yeganeh center of Savojbolagh in Alborz province in 2018-19 school year were used. Then, 60 students with dyslexia were selected according to the available sampling method, of which only 20 students had a visual learning style. These twenty students were randomly assigned to the two study and control groups. The instruments were as follows: Wechsler Intelligence Scale, VAK Questionnaire, history case form and a reading disorder test administered by the researcher. Then, the students were divided into two homogeneous groups according to gender, age, educational level, and intelligence. Then, within two months, ISHINR, Cognitive Information Processing, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, and Visual Learning Style training sessions were conducted for the study group, while the control group received no training. At the end of the treatment sessions and 8 weeks after, the students were reassessed. The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the effect of time and group effect were significant during the study (P<0. 05). Thus, this method is effective and can be proposed for the treatment of cognitive dyslexia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on the social skills of elementary school students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The study population in this study included all female elementary school students (945 subjects) aged 10-12 years in Malekan who were educating in the 2019-2020 academic year. The sample investigated in this study includes 30 female elementary school students with Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades of elementary school, aged 10-12 years, who were selected through a purposive sampling method and randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group (15 experimental subjects, 15 control subjects) who were assigned. The Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) by Spirafkin and Gado (1994) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) by Gersham and Elliott (1990) were used to collect data. The experimental group received emotion regulation training (8 one-hour sessions), and the control group received no intervention during this period. Data were analyzed using Covariance analysis. The results showed that emotion regulation training had an effect on all components of social skills including cooperation (P<0. 005), assertiveness (P<0. 001), and self-control (P<0. 003) of elementary school girls with defiant disorder. Based on the obtained results, it is suggested that emotion regulation training should be considered as one of the effective methods to improve social skills of students with oppositional defiant disorder.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Phelps Sentence Guide Program on the written expressive performance of fifth grade elementary school students with specific learning disabilities. The method was experimental with a pretest/posttest design and a control group. To conduct this project, 30 female students with specific learning disorders in the fifth grade of Yazd were selected through a multistage cluster sampling method and randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group received 13 sessions of 60-minute training on the Phelps program. Instruments used included the informal writing tests and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, fifth edition. Data were analyzed using the statistical method of analysis of covariance. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the performances of the experimental and control groups in writting expression skills (P<0. 001). Based on the results, the Phelps sentence guide program is effective for students with learning difficulties in Writing stories, letters, and memoirs, and that this method can be used as a therapeutic intervention and recommended to therapists.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using information technology and smart tools to improve reading comprehension problems in slow-paced children. The method of this study is quasi-experimental and a pretest-posttest was conducted with a control group. The statistical population includes all boys with reading disorders in Marand medical centers, i. e., 64 children. From the target population, 34 boys with reading disorders were selected as the sample. The sample was randomly divided into two groups based on the Wechsler IQ test and the Karami Nouri and Moradi Diagnostic Reading and Dyslexia Test: an experimental group (n=17) and a control group (n=17). At baseline, both groups were assessed with a diagnostic reading test. The experimental group received treatment in intelligent classes in 12 sessions of 90 minutes within one year, while the control group received training only in their classrooms in the schools and did not receive any specific treatment in one of the centers for learning disabilities. At the end of the study, both groups were re-evaluated. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. The results show that teaching with intelligent tools improves reading and comprehension problems in slow-paced children. Therefore, the use of information technology can improve reading and comprehension disorders in slow-paced children.

The purpose of this study is to compare simple and selective visual and auditory reaction time in children with ADHD and SCT. The design of the present study is within an opportunity comparison framework. The statistical population includes all elementary school students (7 to 12 years old) in Tabriz during the 2019-2020 school year. 100 boys (50 ADHD and 50 SCT) were selected from this population through a screening procedure using the Child Behavior Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) and the SCT scale. Samples were then screened using Psytask software to measure reaction time. MANOVA and SPSS 20 were used for data analysis. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of simple and selective visual and auditory response (P<0. 0001). In addition, the ANOVA and mean scores of the two groups showed that children with SCT performed worse than children with ADHD on all four reaction times. Based on the research background and the results of this study, it appears that children with SCT have poorer performance on cognitive functions such as reaction time than children with ADHD because of greater difficulties in sustained attention. The results of this study may help in the differential diagnosis of sluggish cognitive tempo and attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder and lead to the provision of treatment strategies for each disorder.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation, sensory integration, and the combination of these two methods on improving the cognitive flexibility of students with specific learning disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest/posttest design with unequal groups and one month follow-up. The statistical population consists of students with specific learning disorders referred to Pendar and Atieh clinics in Tehran during the academic year 2019-2020. Of them, 58 students (32 boys and 26 girls) with specific learning disorders were selected through available sampling, and 14 subjects were randomly replaced in the first experimental group, 15 subjects in the second experimental group, 16 subjects in the third experimental group, and 13 subjects in the control group. The Wisconsin Card Storing Test (WCST) was used to measure cognitive flexibility. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance with repeated measures using SPSS-24 software. The results showed that computerized cognitive rehabilitation and combination with sensory integration significantly improved cognitive flexibility in students with specific learning disorders (P<0. 01). In addition, sensory integration also significantly improves cognitive flexibility in students with specific learning disorders (P<0. 05). However, there is no difference between these three methods in improving cognitive flexibility. Therefore, computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation, sensory integration, and the combination of these two methods can be used to improve cognitive flexibility in students with specific learning disorder.

The present study is conducted to investigate the effectiveness of executive function training on self-control in children with ADHD. It is a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, control group design, and two-month follow-up period. The statistical population includes the boys with ADHD in the city of Isfahan during the 2019-20 school year. Thirty children with ADHD were selected by a multistage cluster sampling method and randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group (each group consisted of 15 children). The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute executive function interventions. Three children from the experimental group and two children from the control group were excluded from the study. The questionnaires used in this study included the ADHD questionnaire and the self-control questionnaire. The data of the study were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS 23 software. The results showed that executive function training had a significant effect on the self-control of children with ADHD (p<0. 001). According to the results, executive function training can be used as an efficient method to increase the self-control of children with ADHD by training organization, increasing concentration and attention, strengthening working memory, and avoiding responses.