Effectiveness of rhythmic movement games on improving attachment and reducing behavioral disorders in first and second grade elementary boy students

Aim: The aim of present study was to determine the effectiveness of rhythmic movement games on improving attachment and behavioral disorders in first and second grade elementary boy students.
This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest experimental group design with a two-month follow-up. The target sample consisted of 20 students aged 7 to 9 years old and their mothers from a population of 210 students referred to the Babol Education Consultation Center in the academic year 2016 -2017. After screening and completing questionnaires by mothers, the students who had the highest score in Attachment Problems and Behavioral Disorders Questionnaire Randolph (2004) and Wald Rutter Behavioral Disorder Parent Version (1994) along with their mothers were selected and randomly were assigned to two experimental and control groups. Rafee's Rhythmic Movement Games Educational Package (2013) was conducted for mothers and their children in the experimental group for 60 minutes once a week for 10 weeks and data were analyzed using mixed variance repeated measures.
Findings indicated a significant difference between the performance of the two groups in the symptoms of attachment problems (F= 5.48, P= 0.03), and behavioral disorders (F= 9.52, P= 0.001), in post-test and at two months after the cessation of sessions.
It is argued that rhythmic movement games may facilitate the interaction between parent and child and thus may result in the improvement of behavior and increase brain development and positive imagination in children. Hence, therapists are advised to use this therapeutic approach to reduce attachment problems and behavioral disorders in children.