The Effectiveness of Executive Functions Training on Attention and Response Inhibition in Students with Dyscalculia

The aim of this study was to examine effectiveness of executive functions training on attention and response inhibition in students with dyscalculia. This study was semi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with control and experimental group. The statistical population consisted of 143 students with dyscalculia who had been referred by the schools to the Center for Learning Disabilities of Boushehr province’s Department of Education in 2018-2019 school year. Of these, using convenience sampling and considering the requirements of the research project based on Malekpour Dyscalculia Diagnosis Test (1994), Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children, the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5), 40 students were selected and assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The omission error and commission error sub-scales of the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) (Rosvold, Mirsky, Sarason, Bransome & Beck, 1956) were utilized to evaluate attention and response inhibition performance, respectively. The experimental group received 11 sessions (60 minutes each) of group training. For statistical data analysis, variance analysis with repeated measures is used. Findings showed that executive functions training has a significant effect on attention and response inhibition and this effect remains unchanged in the two-month follow-up phase. Finally, we may conclude that executive functions training, as an effective and functional intervention, could be used to improve inhibition and attention performance of students with dyscalculia.