Applied behavior analysis on inhibition, planning, and working memory of intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment

Children with intellectual disability have significant defects in the essential elements that constitute mental development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis on inhibition, planning, and working memory of intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment. The study design was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest and a group control. The study population comprised all intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment, referred to Yazd Rehabilitation Centers. A total of 30 students were selected from the hearing-impaired children with mild to moderate intellectual disability. Then, they were randomly assigned into control (n = 15) and experimental (n = 15) groups. The study instrument was the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire. The program based on applied behavior analysis presented for experimental group and after that the posttest were administered for both groups. Analyses of covariance was used to analyze data. The study result indicate that group therapy based on applied behavior analysis has significant effects on inhibition (p < 0.01) and planning (p < 0.05) of intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment, but cannot change their working memory (p < 0.17). Applied behavior analysis can be used as a therapeutic method for improving exe cutive functions in intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment.