Investigating the Effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation on the Executive Functions of Students with Specific Learning Disorder

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on the executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation) of students with specific learning disorder. The research method was experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of all the students with specific learning disorder who referred to the learning disorders center of Ardabil in the academic year of 2021-2022, from which 40 students were selected using the available sampling method. Then, they were randomly replaced in the experimental group (20 participants) and the control group (20 participants). The experimental group was exposed to cognitive rehabilitation intervention for 11 sessions. To collect data, the behavioral rating questionnaire of Gioia et al. (2000) was used. The data were analyzed through the analysis of covariance statistical test. The findings showed that cognitive rehabilitation intervention improved executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation) in students with specific learning disorder of the experimental group (P<0.01). Considering the effect of cognitive rehabilitation intervention in students with special learning disorder, schools and counseling centers can use this type of treatment in working with these children to improve their executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation).