Comparing the effectiveness of cerebellar training and executive functions training program on the theory of mind of children with oppositional defiant disorder

The purpose of this research was to compare the effectiveness of cerebellar training and executive functions training programs on the theory of mind of children with oppositional defiant disorder. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group with a follow-up period of 1 month. The statistical population of this research included all 5-6-year-old children suffering from oppositional disobedience disorder in Gonbad Kavos city in 2022. The sample size included 45 people who were selected by the available sampling method and placed in two experimental and control groups. For the first experimental group, cerebellar training and for the second experimental group, executive functions training was implemented, while the control group did not receive training. The research tools included the Children Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4, Gadow, Sprafkin, 1994 ) and the Theory of Mind Questionnaire (TOM, Muris, et al, 1999). Analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that in the post-test and follow-up phases, the average of both experimental groups was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). The results showed that cerebellar training and executive functions training programs are efficient interventions to improve the theory of mind of children with oppositional defiant disorder.