مجله پژوهش در علوم توانبخشی
سال هجدهم شماره 1 (شهریور 1401)

One of the common symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is swallowing and speech paralysis, which has a significant impact on the quality of life of affected people. Paralytic speech often appears from the very beginning of the disease, and with the progress of the disease, it destroys the possibility of communicating through speech. On the other hand, all the muscles of the tongue, lips, palate, jaw, pharynx, larynx and upper body will gradually become weak or spastic, which will result in ineffective transmission. Speech therapy has a special place in the speech and swallowing rehabilitation of these patients: to facilitate speech, focusing on breathing, correcting inefficient compensatory strategies, and teaching the use of alternative means of communication are done gradually and with the progress of the disease. Swallowing rehabilitation is also necessary with the aim of preventing aspiration and maintaining the person's nutritional level. Although it does not make the patient's swallowing process remain normal, it is very important in improving the person's quality of life. As the disease progresses, it may be necessary to feed other than orally.

Flexible flatfoot causes pain in higher joints and disturbs the pressure distribution of soles in affected people. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of three-dimensional (3D)-printed insoles and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in reducing pressure and pain in people with flexible flatfoot.

The present study was designed as a systematic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. An extensive search was conducted in the most important databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated through Downs and Black's checklist. A form was also designed to extract the most important findings of the studies based on the research objectives, and finally the results of the studies were evaluated.

In the electronic search, 19 articles that met the inclusion criteria were published between 2003 and 2022. Insoles that used 3D-design technology and CAD/CAM might have a positive effect on pain and function and distribution of foot pressure in patients with flat feet during the period of patient investigation. But there was no reliable evidence due to the examination of different outcomes and the small number of studies in this regard.

Although the use of 3D insoles and CAD/CAM played a role in reducing pressure and pain and increasing the comfort of patients with flexible flatfoot, the evidence in this field is insufficient and requires more studies.

Imbalance is one of the common problems in overweight people; disproportionate exercise may increase the risk of injury in these people. Trampoline exercises are one of the highly safe exercises; therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of six weeks of trampoline training on balance and leg muscle strength in obese and overweight women.

For this semi-experimental pre-post study the target population were all 16-23 years old inactive, obese or overweight women (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2) living in Zahedan city in 1401 among which 20 volunteers met inclusion criteria and were divided into equal experimental and control groups.They were evaluated by static, and dynamic balance and quadriceps strength tests. The experimental group took part in trampoline exercises for 6 weeks, 4 sessions per week. 1.5 hours per session; 48 hours after the last exercise session, a post-test was taken from both groups in the same conditions as the pre-test stage. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t tests, independent t tests and ANCOVA tests at significance level 0.05.

The results showed that there was no significant difference between the pre- and post-test results of the experimental group in static balance (P = 0.12), although dynamic balance (P=0.04) and quadriceps muscle strength (P = 0.03) significantly improved. Also, between-group comparison revealed no significant difference in static balance (P = 0.10); the experimental group showed significantly better  values of dynamic balance (P = 0.03) and quadriceps muscle strength (P = 0.04) v.s. the control group.

it seems that trampoline exercises increased dynamic balance and strength of quadriceps muscles in obese and overweight women.

Hybrid neuro-prostheses are used in rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injuries. These hybrid neuro-prostheses consist of a robot that moves the knee joint mechanically and a functional electrical stimulation (FES) part that moves the knee joint by electric current stimulation. The main challenge in the use of hybrid neuro-prostheses is muscle fatigue due to electrical stimulation. This study endeavored to reduce muscle fatigue through timing between robot and FES using Persistent D-well Time A mathematical equation was used to model the knee movement in a hybrid neuro-prostheses. A differential equation was used to describe muscle fatigue. The simulation time was determined one hundred seconds and the goal of simulation was considered to regulate knee joint in angle of sixty degrees. Simulation time was divided into stages and a time interval was set for each stage. At each stage, FES was active for a certain time duration. After this duration until the end of the time frame of the stage, switch occurred between the FES and the robot, based on the muscle fatigue value. At the end of the simulation, the knee was regulated with a root mean square error of 0.79 degree at the reference angle. Using robots in the timing method reduced muscle fatigue and the muscle fatigue value was limited in a bounded range between 0.94 and 0.97. The timing method simulated in this study can be effective for control of knee movement. Based on the results, it is expected that this method can be used in the control of hybrid neuro-prosthesis in practice during which the exercises prescribed by the therapist are rehearsed and the muscle fatigue increment need to be avoided in the client simultaneously.

Learning is one of the important parts of life. There is not sufficient experimental evidence to support the effectiveness of different educational models. This study endeavored to compare the effect of traditional educational model and teaching games for understanding (TGFU) model on learning the long service skill in female adolescents. For this quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study, 40 adolescent female students without experience of playing badminton were randomly divided into two groups of 20 as the traditional learning model group and TGFU model. Data were collected using the personal information questionnaire and Scott and Fox badminton long service test. The study consisted of pre-testing a set of attempts with 20 repetitions, acquisition stage (exercises in the style of traditional educational model and educational model of TGFU) for 12 sessions of 5 sets with 10 attempts according to the available manuals; the post-test (memorization) stage was one attempt with 20 repetitions. Data were analyzed by Friedman test for the intra-group comparisons and the Mann-Whitney test and the Wilcoxon test for intergroup comparisons at the significance level of 0.05. The results showed no significant difference between various categories of acquisition efforts (P ≥ 0.05); however, the average rank of TGFU training model group was higher than that of the traditional training group. In the post-test comparison (0.75 to 1 point), the TGFU educational model group had a higher mean than the traditional educational model group (P ≤ 0.001). Based on the results obtained, it seems that the TGFU educational model can be proposed as a better educational model to replace the traditional skill-based educational model for training and coaching.

Football as a sport may result in various injuries of the upper and lower limbs, which impose considerable time and money to rehabilitate and cure. Identifying people at risk is possible through evaluating the movement patterns and individual performance. The Frohm functional test is one of the most comprehensive screening tools. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to compare the results of Frohm functional tests in injured and uninjured elite soccer players. 148 elite young soccer players participated in the present study in four groups of “without injury”, “upper limb”, “ankle”, and “knee” injury. The injuries were confirmed through Fuller's questionnaire and with the approval from the team's doctor and coach. Nine performance tests were taken from them. Then, in order to compare test scores between football players with and without injury, Kruskal-Wallis statistical method was used and logistic regression was used to predict the injury report from the test. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that injury caused a significant decrease in deep squat test, one-legged squat test, in-line lunge test, active hip flexion test, seated rotation test, functional shoulder mobility test, total score (P = 0.001), and push-up test (P = 0.004) in elite soccer players with and without injuries. Besides, the results of multivariable regression in soccer players with and without history of injury showed that one-legged squat test [odds ratio (OR) = 11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.66-32.99] and deep squat test (OR = 13.751, 95% CI = 5.186-36.462) could predict injury report in soccer players. Frohm nine-test screening battery can predict injury reports and these tests can be effective for pre-season screening to predict injury, eliminate possible injuries, and increase sports performance of athletes.

The key skills of volleyball require balance, agility, speed, and power in addition to core stability. Most volleyball injuries occur in the lower extremity during skilled performance. One of the reliable protocols in preventing sport injury and enhancing the performance is the “specific volleyball injury prevention exercise intervention”. In this study, the possible effect of the exercise intervention on core stability, balance, agility, speed, and power in female volleyball players with dynamic knee valgus (DKV) defect was investigated.

This quasi-experimental study included 30 female volleyball players. The assessments included double-leg squat (DLS) test, McGill core stability test, Y-Balance Test (YBT), 20-yard speed test, vertical jump test, and agility T-test. The training group participated in six weeks of the “injury prevention exercise intervention” and the control group participated in their usual routine at the same time. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test was employed to analyze data in a significance level of α = 0.05.

The findings revealed significant improvement in core stability by 12.6% or 5.39 seconds (P = 0.01), speed by 1.64% or 0.07 seconds (P = 0.03), power by 11.84% or 3.6 cm (P = 0.01), and agility by 3.97% from 11.32 to 10.87 seconds, (P = 0.01) in the training group after 6 weeks of exercise intervention in comparison to control group. While the 3.68% increase in the balance record (76.3 cm) in the training group was not statistically significant (P = 0.11). The control group did not show significant change (P = 0.05). All the parameters improved significantly post-intervention in training group compared to pre-test measures (P ≤ 0.02).

Some athletes believed that valid injury prevention exercise interventions have negative impact on performance and they do not use these interventions. However, the findings of the present study showed that six weeks of exercise intervention significantly improved the core stability, speed, agility and power of female volleyball athletes with dynamic knee valgus. Therefore, performing this training intervention is recommended for female volleyball athletes with dynamic knee valgus defects and their coaches

Functional ankle instability is one of the most common sports injuries and causes disruption in neuromuscular control and intensity of muscle activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of selected lower extremity muscles in badminton players with functional ankle instability in the feed forward and feedback phases during single leg landing with that of healthy players.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 male badminton players (15 people with ankle functional instability and 15 people without ankle functional instability). First, their maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was measured. Then, they stood on a platform of 30 cm height, and took several steps to reach the jumping place, from there they landed on one leg with the dominant leg, and the electrical activity of the selected muscles was recorded in a feedforward and feedback manner. Independent t-test and Man-Whitney U test were used to analyze the results.

The independent t-test and Man-Whitney U test results showed that EMG activity in the feedforward phase in the tibialis anterior (P = 0.001), gastrocnemius (P = 0.001), and peroneus longus (P = 0.001) muscles, and in feedback phase in the tibialis anterior (P = 0.001), gastrocnemius (P = 0.001) and peroneus longus (P = 0.006) muscles were significantly higher in the group without functional ankle instability than the group with functional ankle instability.

Decreased activity of the lower extremity muscles in the ankle is one of the main reasons for ankle sprains. The EMG activity of the tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and peroneus longus muscles in the feedforward and feedback phases is lower in people with functional ankle instability compared to people without ankle instability. Therefore, there are many differences in the intensity of muscle activity between people with functional ankle instability and healthy people.

Chronic groin pain is a common and painful condition resulting in impaired performance and loss from participation in sports. High prevalence rate, complex anatomy, and long-term rehabilitation are among the challenges of this injury. Despite extensive clinical and medical studies in this field, groin pain in athletes remains unknown in terms of its biomechanical indicators, especially coordination and variability. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim to compare lower limb joints' coordination and coordination variability between athletes with chronic groin pain and healthy athletes in the side-cutting maneuver.

The present research was conducted on 28 young football players (14 people in the chronic groin pain group and 14 people in the control group). Motion analysis cameras were used to collect 3D kinematic data of the lower limb joints. The coordination and coordination variability of hip-knee and knee-ankle joints in 3 planes were calculated using the continuous relative phase (CRP) method. Independent t-test was used to compare the two groups.

Subjects with chronic groin pain have more out–of–phase movement in hip-knee coordination in the frontal plane, more significant variability in hip-knee and knee-ankle coordination in the frontal plane, and thigh-knee coordination in the horizontal plane.

The results of the present study show a decrease in coordination and an increase in the variability of lower limb coordination in subjects with chronic groin pain, which may lead to compensatory strategies, thus changing the distribution of forces, and resulting in pain and secondary injuries.

Understanding the biomechanical impact of carrying a backpack when walking downhill can be valuable in designing injury prevention programs and physical preparation plans. The aim of this study was to compare the range of motion of lower limb joints during walking on flat and sloped surfaces in middle-aged climbers with and without backpacks.

In the present study, 14 middle-aged mountaineers performed 4 walking trials with and without a backpack on a treadmill with a slope of 0 degrees and a negative slope of 15 degrees. Three-dimensional motion analysis system was used to record kinematic data. The range of motion (ROM) of the ankle, knee, and thigh joints was processed in the sagittal plane. If data followed a normal distribution, paired t-test was used.

On a slope of -15 degrees with a backpack, hip joint (P = 0.044) and ankle joint (P = 0.007) ROM was significantly lower than without a backpack. In the case of using a backpack, knee joint ROM was significantly lower on a 0 degree slope (P = 0.038) and -15 degrees slope (P = 0.029) compared to without a backpack. Moreover, ankle joint ROM significantly differed only when using a backpack (P = 0.032). Furthermore, for the knee and thigh joints, there was a significant difference in the ROM between slopes with (P = 0.006 and P = 0.012, respectively) and without a backpack (P = 0.025 and P = 0.015 respectively).

Carrying a backpack with 25% of the body weight on a negative slope has significant effects on the ROM of the lower limb joints. It seems that negative slope may have far greater effects than load on the ROM of the lower limb joints, especially the ankle joint in middle-aged climbers. Since downhill descent is a part of every climbing program, using a light backpack and optimizing the style of carrying the backpack is recommended to climbers to prevent injuries and improve performance.

This paper presents a serious game (SG) that helps children with speech disorders overcome their challenges in a fun and engaging way. The game utilizes speech recognition and speech-to-text technology, along with visual feedback, to provide a comfortable and interesting experience for the child. Additionally, the game can be used both in therapy sessions with a therapist and at home under supervision, with game results being recorded and sent to the therapist for analysis.

The game was developed using Unity 3D game engine. The game character and environment were designed using Agisoft Software and Autodesk 3D Max. Then, 10 game experts from the Faculty of Multimedia, including university professors and game design masters’ students, were asked to play the primary prototype of the game and complete a questionnaire. Based on our experts' opinions, we modified certain aspects of the game, such as improving visual feedback and smoothing out character movement.

Of the 10 participants who played the game, 80% played flawlessly. The game was effective, but 20% of experts encountered technical issues with in-game functions. The problem was due to incompatibility with their system, so an alternative method was recommended and the issue was resolved.

According to the experts, the game has a promising future for use in clinics and the system may provide a beneficial rehabilitation platform for children with speech disorders. Further evaluations are required to achieve better results and confirm its efficiency.

Rhythmic auditory stimulation has been used clinically as a therapeutic intervention to improve gait function in patients with various neurological diseases. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation with different tempos on spatio-temporal parameters and gait symmetry in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The present study participants included 13 women diagnosed with MS (EDSS: 3.5-5.5) and 14 healthy women. Walking of the subjects was examined under 4 different modes: baseline gait without rhythmic auditory stimulation and gait with rhythmic auditory stimulation at -10%, 0%, and +10% of the baseline tempo, applied in random order. A motion capture system with 6 cameras was used to collect kinematic data.

The results of independent sample t-test showed that people with MS walked slower, shorter distance, and spent a greater percentage of a gait cycle in double support phase than healthy control subjects. Furthermore, the findings showed that with an increase in tempo, the parameters of stance duration, swing duration, double support duration, stride duration, and stride length decrease, and cadence increases. The results of repeated measures ANOVA showed that auditory rhythmic stimulation significantly improves the gait symmetry index compared to the condition of the gait without auditory rhythmic stimulation.

The findings of this study showed that the subjects who participated in this study adjusted well to the changing tempo, and gait improvement was also found at different tempos. Therefore, our findings suggest that rhythmic auditory stimulation has the potential to be a safe, effective, and low-cost intervention for gait disturbance in patients with MS.

The speech intelligibility of people with Down syndrome (DS) is often weak, which may not necessarily improve with age. In contrast, phonological development may be monotonous and slow; therefore, speech therapy is needed for improving speech intelligibility. In this regard, there is a variety of information in the field of speech production and related disorders in the DS population. This study reviews some features of speech production like verbal apraxia in these people, the features that may interfere with the listener's understanding and reduce the clarity of the speaker's speech. Then, the study provides some general solutions to improve the speech of these people.

: In this review study, articles were searched by using the following keywords: "Down syndrome", "speech intelligibility", "verbal apraxia", and intervention or treatment or rehabilitation in Google Scholar and Science Direct databases in the years 2000 to 2022.

Out of 193 original articles found, 13 described the speech characteristics of people with DS and only one study considered oral-verbal apraxia and its treatment.

The literature review has provided various information about the speech characteristics of people with DS. Although the etiology classes may not directly contribute to the clinical interventions, knowing the strengths and weaknesses in the profile of people with DS along with a specialized diagnosis may help speech and language therapists to make accurate assessments and treatment plans. Besides, reviewing the literature indicates that most of the studies have described different aspects of speech disorders in people with DS. Therefore, interventional studies should be done to find the most effective treatment methods to improve the speech intelligibility of people with DS, especially to treat their verbal apraxia.

Evidence suggests that academic stress is a significant contributor to student failure. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of teaching self-regulation strategies, motivation, and self-compassion on academic stress among male high school students with low academic achievement.

The research method was a semi-experimental pre-test and post-test design with a control group. Ninety 11th-grade boys from low-performing high schools in Tabriz, Iran, were selected by cluster random sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The first group received a training course on self-regulating motivational strategies in 10 sessions, the second group underwent 10 sessions of self-compassion training, and the third group (control) continued with their regular classroom programs. The instrument used was Kohn and Frazer's Academic Stress Scale. Data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test at a significance level of 0.05.

Data analysis using univariate ANCOVA showed that self-regulation strategies of motivation and self-compassion had different effects on academic stress (P < 0.05 and F = 31.50) and self-compassion training was more effective in reducing stress.

The effectiveness of self-compassion in reducing stress compared to the method of self-regulation strategies of motivation in controlling the sources of academic stress is obvious; therefore, by practicing self-compassion, one can practically reduce the negative effects of stressful factors.

Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic diseases in people with intellectual disabilities, which leads to delays in motor skill. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the effect of eight weeks of turning exercises on the motor skills in femaile students with Down syndrome.

In this semi-experimental research, 26 female students with Down syndrome were selected in an accessible and purposeful manner and then divided into experimental group (with an average age of 12.15 ± 1.62, height 139.23 ± 8.94, weight 42.62 ± 13.44 and IQ 63.02 ± 5.54) and control group (with mean age 12.23 ± 1.53, height 141.15 ± 10.31, weight 45.46 ± 15.94 and IQ 63.05 ± 5.49) were randomly paired. Before and after the training period, gross and fine motor skills was evaluated using Short form of Bruininks-Oseretsky test. The subjects of the experimental group underwent 24 sessions (each session lasting 45-60 minutes). Analysis of variance for duplicate data was used to analyze the data at a significance level of 0.05.

The findings revealed a significant interaction in gross motor skills (P < 0.001, F = 113.60), fine motor skills (P = 0.040, F = 4.40) and composite score (P < 0.001, F = 68.56) in the experimental group compared to the control group. These results indicate that the implementation of combined turning exercises had a significant impact on enhancing the motor skills of students with Down syndrome.

According to the results of this study, these exercises can be used as an effective method to improve the gross motor skills of students with Down syndrome.

Visual impairment makes individuals dependent on tools in their daily activities. Home modifications are one of the important methods for increasing the independence of individuals with visual impairments as all individuals frequently interact with their home environment in their everyday lives. This study was an endeavor to develop the Home Modification and Improvement Questionnaire for visually impaired people and study its psychometric characteristics".

A cross-sectional study of questionnaire development and validation was conducted. The structure of the questionnaire was completed in 3 stages, defining the structure, creating items, and determining the format. The instrument was validated in the 3 stages of assessing the items, checking the face, content, and structural validity, and reliability of the retest-test, and performing a pilot study of the instrument. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to calculate the validity of the construct. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test was used for factor analysis and the correlation between questions was evaluated using Bartlett's test.

Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 3 factors (light, color, and home architecture) with eigenvalues of greater than 1 and factor loadings of greater than 0.3. Cronbach's alpha coefficients (index of internal consistency) of the scales of performance, knowledge, and attitude were 0.81, 0.88, and 0.69, respectively (P ≤ 0.001). The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), as the measure of test-retest reliability, of the scales of performance, knowledge, and attitude were 0.82, 0.87, and 0.78, respectively.

Living comfortably at home for low vision individuals requires the consideration of the 3 elements of light, color, and home architecture and establishment of a planned and organized atmosphere. The current questionnaire can be utilized as a quantitative tool to evaluate the attitude, knowledge, and performance of this population's families in terms of their contribution to addressing the needs of this population.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating chronic disease that leads to swelling, inflammation, and pain in the knee joints. Most falls occur while walking, and it is thought that there is a correlation between gait characteristics and the risk of falling in the elderly. The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between the kinematic and spatiotemporal characteristics of walking and the history of falls in women with knee OA.

60 women with unilateral OA of the knee were selected based on the research inclusion criteria in a purposeful and available manner and after filling out a written consent form, they were included in the study using a limited randomization method of block randomization type. Then, the falling history of participants was recorded. To record spatiotemporal and kinematic variables of walking, a motion analysis system was used. To measure the correlation between the spatiotemporal parameters of walking (movement and spatiotemporal data) and the history of falling, the biserial correlation coefficient was used.

According to the results of the biserial correlation coefficient test, there was no relationship between spatiotemporal and kinematic factors in all three joints of the hip, knee, and ankle and the subject's history of falling..

No correlation was observed between walking characteristics and a history of falls in patients with knee OA. It is possible that the participants with OA symptoms may be aware of their presence and physical activity, or may limit their daily life activities. It should also be noted that the current study is retrospective and patients may underestimate or overestimate their history of falls accordingly.

The development of sports talents is affected by various environmental factors, one of which is relative age. One of the consequences of relative age is early puberty, which gives athletes an advantage in terms of physical and cognitive abilities compared to their peers. Therefore, coaches may prefer athletes who have reached puberty early. This study describes the distribution of the relative age among elite clay tennis players in Iran.

A study was conducted on 430 tennis players between the ages of 10 and 19, consisting of 228 girls and 202 boys. These players participated in 1400 national ranking tournaments in clay tennis. The study analyzed the participants' relative age based on their birth month. The first quarter of the Gregorian calendar (January 1st to March 31st) was referred to as Q1, the second quarter (April 1st to June 30th) was Q2, the third quarter (July 1st to September 30th) was Q3, and the fourth quarter (October 1st to December 31st) was Q4. The first quarter of the Persian calendar (Pc) (Farvardin 1st to Khordad 31st) was referred to as Q1Pc, the second quarter (Tir 1st to Shahrivar 31st) was Q2Pc, the third quarter (Mehr 1st to Azar 31st) was Q3Pc, and the last three months (Dey 1st to Esfand 29th or 30th) were Q4Pc. The study conducted a frequency analysis based on the birth month and quarter of birth and observed the relationship between relative age and the athlete’ attendance in the national rankings tournaments of clay tennis was assessed using the chi-square fit test.

227 individuals (52.8 percent) were born in the first and second quarters of the year, while 203 people (47.2 percent) were born in the third and fourth quarters (P = 0.247). Moreover, 230 people (53.49%) were born in the first and second quarters, and 200 people (46.51%) in the third and fourth quarters of the Persian calendar (P = 0.148). The statistical analysis reveals no significant difference in the number of athletes born in the first to fourth trimesters of the Persian calendar (P = 0.35) and Gregorian calendar (P = 0.258).

It seems that relative age was not influential in selecting clay tennis elite athletes in Iran. However, based on the findings from available studies, it is suggested that researchers, coaches, and training experts consider the interaction among background factors, including the potential effects of relative age, to facilitate raising sports talents.

Inactive lifestyles and neurological disorders among mentally retarded people have caused them to suffer from weaknesses in physical fitness and social adjustment factors. Breathing exercises along with the reconstruction of movement patterns from the first year of life in Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) exercises, in addition to treatment, can be effective in preventing many disorders. Therefore the present study aims to study the effect of eight weeks of DNS training on respiratory function, functional tests and quality of life (QOL) of educable mentally retarded students.

Twenty-six educable mentally retarded female students with a mean age (17.19 ± 1.50) and IQ (61.15 ± 6.07) were selected semi-experimentally and purposefully based on IQ and two paired into experimental groups (n = 13) and a control (n = 13) randomly. Before and after the training intervention, respiratory function, functional test and QOL variables were assessed through the Rockport walking test, the FMS test and the Cummins questionnaire, respectively. Analysis of variance for duplicate data at a significance level of 0.05 was used to analyze the data.

According to the results of this study, after performing eight weeks of DNS training, there was a significant difference in respiratory function (P = 0.001, F = 82.93), right FMS (P = 0.011, F = 51.00), Left FMS (P = 0.001, F = 46.09) and QOL (P = 0.001 F = 34.25) were created in the experimental group compared to before the training protocol and also in the control group (P < 0.05). Therefore, DNS exercises showed a significant effect on respiratory performance, functional tests, and quality of life of students with intellectual disabilities.

Based on the current results, it appears that DNS exercises can be used as an effective method for improving the breathing performance, functional tests, and quality of life of mentally disabled female students.

Performing sports exercises at any age can improve physical and mental health and boost self-confidence. Creating an environment for group and movement games can help enhance children's executive functions and attention. Thus, the present study was conducted to compare the impact of activities based on executive and perceptual-motor functions on the anxiety levels of 9-7-year-old children.

The statistical sample of the current research included 3 groups of 20 people, consisting of 10 girls and 10 boys, who were selected through available sampling. The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) was used to measure the children's anxiety levels. The first experimental group performed activities based on executive function in the form of abacus training and practice, and the second experimental group performed perceptual-motor activities in 16 sessions of 45 minutes for 8 weeks (2 sessions per week). The control group had no continuous, purposeful mental, perceptual-motor, or physical activities. At the end of the intervention, a posttest similar to the pretest was performed for all participants. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of covariance, the Bonferroni post hoc test, chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney test in SPSS software at an error level of α ≤ 0.05.

The results showed that by controlling the effect of the anxiety score in the pretest, the average anxiety score in the executive functions group (P < 0.001) and the perceptual-motor functions group (p = 0.006) was significantly lower than the control group. However, the average anxiety scores of the two experimental groups were not significantly different (P = 0.176).

Since executive and perceptual-motor function activities effectively reduce children's anxiety, it is suggested that these exercises be included in sports and recreational programs for children with anxiety.

 The mental skills of athletes are the factors that cause differences in the optimal level of performance of athletes during the competition season. The purpose of this research was to compile an educational program for training mental skills and assess its effectiveness on the psychological and cognitive characteristics of teenage football players in the competition season.

 For this purpose, 21 male adolescent athletes with an age range of 11 to 13 years from a specialized football academy who participated in the Isfahan City premier league were selected as participants in this study. The study method used was action research and the data collection method was qualitative. For this purpose, data were collected by monitoring verbal and non-verbal behaviors of the players, and semi-structured interviews with the coaches and parents of the athletes to understand the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of the participants. The collected data were carefully implemented and analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method.

 Research findings consisted of the 8 global themes of team cohesion, positive self-talk, self-care, low self-confidence, acceptance of football rules, concentration and recovery of concentration, performance under pressure (routine), and prevention of distractions.

 Mental skills training differs based on the needs of athletes in the competition season. Since paying attention to identified needs and mental skill programs during the competition season is important for athletes, it is necessary that coaches, psychologists, and sports managers pay attention to environmental and individual factors to develop an effective mental skills program.