فواد نیک نسب

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) display slowness, inaccuracy, and insufficient coordination in the performance of motor skills. Compared to children with normal development, they generally have poorer performance in tasks that require visual-motor integration. We evaluated the effect of tDCS stimulation on visual-motor integration in children with DCD. In this quasi-experimental study, featuring a pre-test-post-test design, 40 students with DCD aged 7-10 years were selected according to the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned into two groups: tDCS stimulation and artificial stimulation. In the pre-test, participants took a visual-motor integration test. The intervention phase was administered for 5 consecutive days. Each day, the subjects underwent either electrical stimulation in the motor cortex (anode at C3 and cathode at Fp2) or artificial stimulation. The post-test was administered in the last session. Short-term and long-term follow-ups were performed 1 day and 42 days after the post-test, respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The results showed that electrical stimulation of the motor cortex significantly improves the visual-motor integration of children with DCD. The follow-up results supported the persistence of motor-visual integration in these children. In general, the results emphasized the effectiveness of tDCS exercises on motor-visual integration in children with DCD.

Anxiety and self-confidence are factors that affect performance. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of mindfulness and mental imagery training on the psychophysiological response of anxiety and self-confidence in students’ officer. This method was semi-experimental. 45 male officers who voluntarily participated in this study and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (mindfulness and mental imagery) and one control group. The score of anxiety and self-confidence, as well as levels of salivary cortisol were measured in three groups. The experimental groups performed 6 sessions of specific training. Finally, the post-test has conducted in three groups according to the pre-test. The results indicated that mindfulness and imaging training had a significant effect on the level of salivary cortisol, anxiety, and self-confidence. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of effectiveness (p > 0.05). In general, it can be concluded that mindfulness and mental imagery training could be a strategy to reduce anxiety and improve self-confidence in officer students. Therefore, it is suggested to the providers and teachers in the military organs that by holding workshops and using these strategies to reduce anxiety and enhance self-confidence and consequently to improve students’ performance.Therefore, it is suggested to the providers and teachers in the military organs that by holding workshops and using these strategies to reduce anxiety and enhance self-confidence and consequently to improve students’ performance.

Attention deficit hyperactivity is one of the most common childhood disorders, which has recently attracted the attention of psychiatrists and psychologists. The main characteristics of this disorder include inability to control motor behavior, learning disability, aggression, educational problems, impulsiveness and motor restlessness. The present study was aimed to determine effect of teaching neurofeedback on symptoms of children suffering from attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder.

Present research was a pretest–posttest study with a control group. In terms of using the results, it was an applied study. The statistical population included the children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who were selected using the list of the clients who had referred to Refah Clinic in Tehran over a period of 2 months and were diagnosed with ADHD by a psychiatrist. Convenience sampling method was used to select the study sample that consisted of 30 children (girls and boys) in an age range of 5–10 years. The subjects were selected based on the study’s objectives and the inclusion criteria, which were definitive diagnosis of ADHD by a psychiatrist based on DSM–IV criteria, completion of the written consent to participate in the study by the subjects’ families, age range of 5–12 years, lack of other attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, lack of receiving any other special treatments such as medication. Afterwards, in order to observe ethical considerations, the study’s objectives were explained to the parents and confidentiality of the subjects’ information was assured, the parents entered the study following their complete satisfaction, and they were ensured that their children would not harm at all. After the parents were familiarized with the clinical and research aims by the researcher, they filled out the participation consent form. The 30 chosen children were randomly assigned into two groups (15 children in the neurofeedback training group and 15 in the control group). After the desired sample was obtained, the child symptom inventory–4 (CSI–4) was distributed among the parents as the pretest, and they were required to fill it out. After a week, the experimental group received an intervention program for 20 sessions (every session lasted an hour and was held twice a week).

The results obtained from comparing the neurofeedback means of the experimental group in the pretest and posttest stages indicated that the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had a significant decrease in the posttest phase (16.26) compared to the pretest phase (28.33). In the control group; however, the neurofeedback means in the pretest (28.73) and posttest (28.93) had no significant difference. In fact, the results of the present study showed that neurofeedback training led to a decrease in ADHD symptoms (p<0.001).

The present study showed that neurofeedback training had a positive impact on the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In fact, the results of the present study can theoretically be the basis for the effect mechanism of this method among children with ADHD, and they can practically be a guidance for trainers and those who work with such children. Therefore, it is recommended that this effective method be utilized along with other therapeutic methods in order to reduce ADHD symptoms among children.

The aim of this research was the effect of neurofeedback instruction and play therapy on symptoms of children with attention deficit -hyperactivity disorder. In terms of objectives the research method is functional, and in terms of its nature and method it is a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test which has a control group. To this end 45 children suffering from attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder who visited the counseling center and psychological services of Refah, aged between 5 to 12, were selected randomly. And according to the objectives of research, participants were randomly put into three groups (15 individuals were selected for neurofeedback instruction group; 15 children were assigned to play therapy group; and 15 subjects were put in control group). After pre-test, the intervention program was administered for 20 sessions, then, post-test was given. To perform pre-test and post-test, we used Child Symptom Inventory-4: parent checklist; and for analyzing data Shapiro Wilk test, one way variance analysis and paired t- test were used. The results showed that regarding ADHD there is significant difference between neurofeedback training with play therapy groups (P = 0.0001) and control group, also significant difference was observed between play therapy group and the control group (P = 0.0001). in order, neurofeedback instruction had the greatest impact then play therapy in reducing symptoms of ADHD. According to the findings, it can be concluded that the two methods of neurofeedback training and play therapy might be used to decrease the symptoms of ADHA

Intellectual disability is one of the cognitive-motor abnormalities that happen during the developmental age period. It causes restrictions to different individual functions and usually emerges with a delay in motor and intellectual growth, low academic performance, and poor social and communicative skills. In children with intellectual disability, there is no appropriate relationship between cognition and motor during the process of development and particularly sensitive periods. Therefore, they acquire lower levels of basic motor skills among such children compared to normal individuals, and they carry out such skills in an immature way. Due to poor motor skills in such children and the importance of them, and because physical activities lead to physical health, and improvement in the individual’s intellectual performance, behavioral perception, feelings, and personality. The present study was aimed to examine the effect of cognitive-motor exercises on improvement in gross and fine motor skills among educable boys with intellectual disability.

A purposive sampling method was used to select 20 intellectually disable educable boys with an average age of 8.3±1.11 years and IQ of 39.14±6.84 from welfare center of Marivan (Kurdistan province, West of Iran). The pretest was done for all of the children. Afterward, they purposively divided into two groups (n=10); an intervention group, and a control group. Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency was used to measure gross and fine motor skills. The intervention group carried out the cognitive-motor exercises for 24 sessions of 45 to 60 minutes, 3 times a week. After 24 sessions, both groups took a posttest. Non-parametric tests of Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U (SPSS 16.0) used to test the study’s hypotheses.

The results of the present study showed that the practice period had a significant effect on gross motor skills in the intervention group (running speed and agility, balance, two-way coordination, and strength) (p<0.05). The effect of the practice period; however, was not significant on fine motor skills (response speed, vision control, and speed and agility of the upper limb) (p>0.05).

From the results, it can be concluded that the training program used in the present study is suitable for improving motor skills in boys with reactive IQ and can be used as a training program by relevant centers.</div>

The present study aimed at investigating the foreign language learning needs of graduate students of humanities and sciences in Shahid-Bahinar University of Kerman. To this end, a mix method approach-qualitative and quantitative- was utilized on the basis of interviews and questionnaires. 252 graduate students (169 females and 83 male) as well as 30 instructors were selected on the basis of convenience sampling to participate in the study. The participated learners and instructors completed the needs analysis questionnaire to reflect on their language learning needs in ESP courses. Then students and instructors were interviewed to elicit their opinions concerning the students’ language demands, language needs, attitudes towards language instruction, length of the course as well as the content, syllabus, methodology of the specialized English course. The results of needs analysis revealed major discrepancies between students’ and instructors’ perceptions of students’ language needs. For the students reading, speaking, writing and then listening respectively should be emphasized. But for the instructors, reading, writing speaking, and listening respectively are of more importance. Most of the students believed that respectively, number of students in the classes, content of ESP books and methodology of instructors are the most important factors in ESP courses. This is when that instructors put more focus on the method of evaluation, methodology and content of books in ESP courses. It is hoped that the findings of this study would reveal insight into syllabus design and curriculum development for ESP programs in Iran.