Development Of Early Intervention Program Based On Executive Functions And its effectiveness on improving the neurological function Of Children With Intellectual Disability

Considering the key role of executive functions in children's academic and social success, and the cognitive impairments of children with intellectual disabilities, as well as relying on the efficacy of early intervention as one of the accepted principles in the process of education and treatment of children with special needs, The purpose of this study was to develop a early intervention program based on executive functions and to evaluate its effectiveness on the neuropsychological performance improvement of children with intellectual disabilities

The method of this research is experimental with pre-test, post-test and follow-up with the control group. The statistical population of this study is all children with a low educational level of 50 to 70 students who are studying in the pre-school period of exceptional schools in Tehran. Among them, 20 subjects were selected by non-random sampling method and divided into two groups (n = 12) and control (n = 8). The data of this study, which were collected using the neuropsychological Conner's questionnaire test, were using SPSS software for analyzed  MANCOVER repeated measures test.

The findings of the present study indicate that a early intervention program based on executive functions has led to a significant increase in neurological cognitive abilities, motor sensory function, memory and learning, and executive functions among the children with intellectual disabilities. However, the program did not lead to a significant increase in language performance among these children.

According to the findings, it is suggested that executive functions should be considered as a pillar and axis of early interventions, given the great importance they play in the cognitive and social functioning of children with intellectual disabilities.