The Effect of Brain Training on Suppression of Theta/Alpha Ratio and Working Memory of 8 to 12 year old Children with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Due to the importance of rehabilitation among children with special learning disabilities, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of brain Gym on suppression of theta/alpha ratio and working memory of students aged 8 to 12 years with dyslexia or dysgraphia. This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The population of this study included all girls and boys with reading or writing disorders referring to special centers for learning disabilities in Kermanshah. The convenience sampling methods were used. For this purpose, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 students aged 8 to 12 years were selected and randomly allocated into two groups of 10 people. The experimental group were received brain Gym intervention for 20 sessions of 20 minutes over 10 weeks. In order to record the brain waves of the participants, a dual-channel neurofeedback device was used. Moreover, the Wechsler memory software was used to measure their active memory. To analyze the data, univariate one-way covariance analysis and multivariate one-way covariance analysis were used using SPSS software version 26. The results showed that the ratio of theta waves to alpha in the experimental group was significantly reduced and active memory span in the experimental group was significantly increased compared to the control group (P < .05). The findings of this study indicated that brain exercise can significantly suppress the ratio of theta waves to alpha and also improve working memory among children with special learning disabilities. The findings confirm the neurological evidence for the positive effect of the brain Gym intervention on the modulation of brain waves and working memory in children with dyslexia or dysgraphia.