نشریه کودکان استثنایی
سال بیست و سوم شماره 3 (پیاپی 89، پاییز 1402)

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of music-based education on social skills, attention and concentration of children with special learning disabilities.

This is a quasi-experimental study with post-test and pre-test in experimental and control groups. The study population included children aged 6 to 10 years from the training center of capable learning disability in Ghaemshahr city in 2019-2021. We used convenient sampling method to select 30 children and divided them into two groups of experimental (15 children) and control (15 children). The experimental group received Bells music training in 16 sessions of 30 minutes for two months. We completed Matheson and Conners questionnaires before and after intervention in both groups. We applied generalized estimating equation (GEE) to compare changes in questionnaires between two groups over the study.

We sound significant change between two groups after intervention in scores of appropriate social behavior, antisocial behavior, aggression and impulsive behavior, high self-esteem, behavior problems, inattention, dreaming (P value<0.05).

Our results showed that music education is effective in improvement of social skills, attention and concentration of children with special learning disabilities.

The aim of this research was to investigate The effectiveness of Training Based on Reading Motivation Model on the level of executive function and reading performance of students with reading difficulties. The study was a quasi experimental pretest-posttest with control group. The statistical population includes all students (boys and girls) with reading difficulties, fourth and fifth grades of elementary school in Aligudarz, who are studying in the academic year 2019-2020, Targeted sampling method of which 30 students (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group was selected as the sample size and randomly. Research tools included  The executive functions questionnaire of Koolij et al. (2002) and the reading and dyslexia test (Nema) Kormi Nouri and Moradi (2005). Data using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate analysis of covariance) were analyzed. research results show that teaching Based on Reading Motivation Model increased executive function and reading performance in students with reading difficulties (p<0/001). Therefore, it can be said that reading is one of the main skills identifying lower elementary students with reading difficulties is essential to solving their problem.

The aim of the present research was to investigate of the psychometric properties of Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue) for hearing and deaf pre-school children.

This study was a descriptive research and psychometric type. Translation and translation-back was used to prepare the Persian version of EmQue. The statistical population of the study were educators of hearing and deaf pre-school children in Tehran city in 2020-2021 academic year. The sample consisted of two groups of 270 educators of pre-school children (160 and 110 educators of hearing and deaf children in each group, respectively) who were selected simple random sampling method. The viewpoints of 8 experts were obtained to evaluate the questionnaire’s face and content validity. The Lawashe method and the Waltz & Bausell method were used to calculate content validity index. Construct validity was analyzed using factor analysis. The reliability of scale was calculate using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest.

The EmQue was translated into nineteen items and three subscales with a set of three answer choices for each item. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, three factors were extracted. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model had a good fitness and confirmed its construct validity. Content validity index was 0/94, 0/96, 0/93 and 0/94 for the EmQue and each of subscales of emotion contagion, attention to others’ feelings, and prosocial actions, respectively. The reliability for the EmQue and each of its subscales using Cronbach’s alpha was 0/93, 0/94, 0/90 and 0/92, respectively. Also, reliability was calculated by test-retest method was 0/92, 0/91, 0/88 and 0/89. The results of convergent and divergent validity between the EmQue through its simultaneous implementation with the Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scale (SEARS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) reviewed, the correlation was a moderate to a strong and ranged from 0.47 to 0.74.

The EmQue is a valid and reliable tool and it can be used for assessing the empathy of hearing and deaf pre-school children in Iran.

Objective:

 The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of anger management and parenting training on selective attention in students with oppositional defiant disorder.

This research was applied in terms of purpose, and quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test design with a control group in terms of the data nature. The statistical population included all fifthand sixth-grade elementary school students in District 9 of Tehran City in the academic year of 2019-2020, of which 45 were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group. The anger management experimental group based on cognitive-behavioral approach was trained in eight 1.5hr sessions, the parenting experimental group was trained in nine 90min sessions, and the control group remained on the waiting list. The instruments used in the present study included the Scoring Scale for Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children (Homersen et al., 2006) and the word “Stroop” color test for selective attention, which were used in two stages: pre-test and post-test.

The analysis of data obtained from the questionnaire was performed through the SPSS-V24 software in two descriptive and inferential sections (analysis of covariance).

The results revealed that the groups receiving the anger management and parenting training programs showed greater effectiveness on selective attention in students with oppositional defiant disorder than the control group. Coping had the same effect in the two groups of “anger management” and “parenting”. It seems that therapists, researchers and psychotherapists in the field of children and adolescents can use the educational programs of the present study to increase the selective attention of learners.

Memory and psychological processes play a vital role in every aspect of learning, and dysfunction slows down many areas of learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational package of psychological processes based on verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning and academic achievement of elementary students with learning disabilities.

The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. In compiling the training package, worksheets were prepared in 25 different areas of psychological processes. In order to determine the effectiveness of the package, 20 second-grade female students who referred to the Center for Disorders in Ghaen and had problems in reading, writing and math were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was trained for thirty 45-minute sessions (10 face-to-face sessions and 20 face-to-face sessions). To collect the data, the subscales of verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning of the fourth edition of the Wechsler Children's Intelligence Scale (Wechsler, 2003) and the researcher-made test of academic achievement (Ghorbanpour, 2020) were used. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the post-test. This means that education could be effective in improving the verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning and academic achievement of students with learning disabilities.

According to the research results, paying due attention to the educational strategies of basic psychological processes, as an effective intervention method, can lead to promising results in education and rehabilitation of students with learning disabilities.

During the Corona period, loneliness became a major problem for many of their families and adolescents, which led to them educational problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of academic alienation in the relationship between loneliness with academic self-handicapping of gifted students of gifted students during e-learning.

The research method was correlation of the type structural equation modeling. The population of this study included all the population of this study includes all female high school students of Farzanegan Secondary School who were studying in the academic year 2020-2021. The statistical sample size was determined based on the rules of thumb Kline equal to 170 people, which was done by available sampling method and online questionnaire. The instruments used in this study were University of California LosAngeles Loneliness (UCLA), Academic Alienation Scale (AAS) and Self-handicapping Scale (SHS). Data analysis was performed by the SPSS-22, and AMOS-24 software.

The proposed model had good fit (RMSEA = 0.08, GFI = 0.97, CFI = 0.98). All direct correlations were reported significant (P<0.01). Moreover, indirect paths between loneliness and academic self-handicapping through the mediation of academic alienation were significant.

According to the findings, by emphasizing the methods of reducing students' academic alienation and increasing their interest in education through educational classes, workshops and by conducting individual and group counseling at school level, it is possible to provide grounds for reducing the loneliness and academic self-handicapping.

This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and TEACCH training methods in improving social skills and verbal comprehension in children with an autism spectrum disorder.

The current study is an intra-group type (single subject) in terms of its practical purpose and execution method. A multi-baseline design was employed using different methods and people. The statistical population consisted of all students with an autism spectrum disorder in the elementary schools of Mazandaran Province in the academic year of 2017-2018. The sample group included four people in two groups and each group had two members who were assigned randomly. Data collection tools were Weiland Social Development Scale and Wechsler Children's Scale. The statistical tests consisted of visual and statistical analyses, as well as examining the process of changes in the subject. The intervention method was the observation of the subject's line in the baseline and the training of the intervention package together with the follow-up of the process of changes, which lasted for two months.

The findings showed that the effect of ABA and TEACCH on improving social skills and verbal comprehension in children with an autism spectrum disorder is different and according to the indicators of improvement (8.83 and 15.13 for social skills) and (scores of 160 and 100 for verbal comprehension), TEACCH has a greater contribution.

The study showed that tichs treatment method was more effective in improving socoal slills and verbal comprehension in two subjects than ABA treatment due to its structutrd nature.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of executive function training and play therapy on promoting the learning of mathematical concepts in students with learning disabilities.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical sample consisted of 45 third grade elementary students, who were selected by purposeful sampling method and were replaced in three groups of “executive functions training”, “play therapy” and “control group”. The research tool was the K-Matt mathematical test. The experiment participants were trained in 10 sessions of 90 minutes.

The research findings showed no significant difference between the effectiveness of executive function training and play therapy on learning of mathematical concepts (P<0.01).

The results showed that both executive functions and play therapy interventions have beneficial effects on learning of mathematical concepts in students with math learning disability.

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of interactive play (interactive games training) on the adaptive behaviors of students with non-verbal learning disorders.

The research method was an experiment with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included students with non-verbal learning disorder in Isfahan City in 2019-2019. Thirty people were selected according to the criteria for entering the research by multi-stage sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group was subjected to a ten-session intervention of interactive games training in the form of weekly 90-minute sessions, and the control group remained on the waiting list and did not receive any intervention. Subjects of the two groups were evaluated in the pre-test and post-test stages with the Weinland Adaptive Behavior Scale (second edition).

The results of multivariate covariance analysis showed a significant difference (P<0.05) between the performance of the experimental and control groups in the two subscales of communication skills and life skills; however, there was no significant difference in the social skills subscale (P<0.05).

According to the results, “interactive games training” has an effect on the adaptive behaviors of students with non-verbal learning disorders; so this method can be used to improve adaptive skills along with other therapeutic approaches.

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of self-regulation executive function training on the working memory of anxious students.

This research has used a semi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the present study included anxious students of Shahid Kazemi Elementary School in Tehran City (Iran). Thirty qualified people were selected by purposive sampling method and were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (each group 15 people). Spence's Anxiety Scale (1997) and Arjamandania's Working Memory Test (2016) were used. The experimental group received ten sessions of self-regulation executive function (each session for 60 minutes), and the control group did not receive any intervention. After completing the course, a post-test was conducted for both groups.

The results of covariance analysis showed that the executive function of self-regulation had a significant effect in improving the working memory components such as phonological loop, visual-spatial screen and central executive of anxious students (p≤0.01).

The research results showed that the executive function of self-regulation can help the components of working memory such as the phonological loop, the visual-spatial screen, and the central executive of anxious students.