نشریه کودکان استثنایی
سال بیست و چهارم شماره 4 (پیاپی 94، زمستان 1403)

 Hearing damage or hearing loss is one of the important obstacles and limitations on people's way to establish and understand effective social relationships. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of problem solving training on the perception of social interaction in hearing impaired students.

The present study was a semi-experimental type of pre-test, post-test with a control group. The population of this study was hearing-impaired students studying in exceptional schools in Kermanshah, of which 32 were available and were randomly divided into two groups of 16. The test group was trained in problem solving in eight one and a half hour sessions. The data collection tool was Carol Glass's standard social interaction perception questionnaire. After collecting the data, it was entered into SPSS software version 26 and subjected to statistical analysis.

Based on the results of the t test of two independent samples; The post-test scores in the test group showed a higher level than the control group, but this difference in the results was not statistically significant (P-Value>0.05).

According to the findings of the research, it can be concluded that problem solving training in both dimensions of negative thoughts and positive thoughts leads to an improvement in the perception of social interaction in hearing impaired students, although this improvement was not statistically significant. In general, based on what was obtained in this study, the results cannot be generalized well and more studies are needed.
Keywords: problem solving, perception of social interaction, hearing impaired students

Hearing impairment is one of the obstacles to the normal development of emotions, and emotional problems can cause interpersonal sensitivity. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of emotion regulation training on interpersonal sensitivity in adolescents with hearing impairment.

The current research was of a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research consisted of all adolescents with hearing impairment in Isfahan city in the academic year of 2022-2023. The research sample included 30 adolescents with hearing impairment who were selected using the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, and 15 people participated in each group. Emotion regulation training was implemented in 8 sessions for the experimental group, while the control group did not participate in this intervention and remained on the waiting list. The instrument used in this research was the interpersonal sensitivity scale. The research data were analyzed by multivariate covariance analysis using SPSS-26 statistical software.

The results of the research showed that the interpersonal sensitivity in the experimental group was significantly reduced compared to the control group. The effect of educational intervention on interpersonal sensitivity and the subscales of interpersonal awareness and shyness was significant, while it was not significant on the subscales of need for approval, separation anxiety, and fragile self-esteem.

The emotion regulation training program reduced the interpersonal sensitivity of adolescents with hearing impairment. Therefore, this program can be used to reduce the interpersonal problems of adolescents.

Two cognitive components such as number comprehension and active memory are known to be effective factors for the development of math skills and the lack of both components can lead to the occurrence of math learning disorders in children. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze number comprehension on According to the active memory profile in students with math learning disorder.

The method of the current research was a correlational description. The statistical population of the present study was all male students with math learning disorder, first grade, referring to learning disorder centers in the academic year of 2020 – 2021 and 50 of them were selected by available sampling method. Pickering and Godercole (20001) answered the questions of Jordan et al.'s (2008) and working memory test set for children (Hafbek). After data collection, their analysis was done with Spss 20 software and with Pearson's correlation matrix and multiple regression methods.

The findings of the present study showed that among the components of active memory, central executive and visual-spatial plane, there is a positive and significant correlation with one of the components of number understanding, including operations (P<0.01).  Also, the results of multiple regression indicated that among the components of working memory, only the visual-spatial plane can predict one of the components of number understanding, including operations (P<0.02).

According to the confirmation of the significant role of working memory in children's understanding of numbers, it is possible to teach skills related to the components of working memory, especially the visual-spatial screen in learning disability centers to improve number understanding.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of teaching Persian language metaphors using the mixed method and the electronic educational package method on the progress of motivation and self-concept in students with hearing impairment.

The research population included all students with hearing loss in the ninth grade of the first year of high school in Tehran, 45 of them were selected using the purposeful sampling method and randomly replaced in experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). To collect information, Hermans' (1970) achievement motivation questionnaire was used. The research method was an experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The experimental group participants were taught Persian language metaphors by mixed method (8 sessions) and electronic method (8 sessions), and the control group did not receive any intervention except formal school training. The data were analyzed using the Covariance statistical test.

The results showed that the teaching of Persian language metaphors using the mixed and electronic methods was effective in the progress motivation of students with hearing impairment. There was a significant difference between the effectiveness of the training group with mixed method and the electronic training method on the progress motivation in favor of the electronic training group.

Considering the importance of teaching Persian language to hearing-impaired students, it is necessary to use various methods to teach Persian language metaphors, as part of supplementary education in schools.
Keywords: Teaching Persian language metaphors, Electronic method, Progress motivation, Students with hearing impairment

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on the interpersonal sensitivity, emotional distress tolerance and empathy of aggressive female students.

The research method was an experiment with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included 180 students studying in the first secondary schools of Pol-e-Sefid City in the first half of the academic year 2023-2024. Overall, 30 students were selected by multi-stage cluster random method and placed in the two groups of experimental and control (each 15 people). The people of the sample group were screened by using the aggression questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992). Data were collected using interpersonal sensitivity questionnaire (Boyce & Parker, 1989), emotional distress tolerance (Simons & Gaher, 2005), and empathy (Mehrabian and Epstein, 1972). Data analysis was done by multivariate and univariate covariance methods in the SPSS-24 software.

The findings showed that emotion regulation training was effective on interpersonal sensitivity and tolerance of emotional distress, but it did not affect empathy.

Based on the study results, emotion regulation training can significantly improve the quality of life and mental health of aggressive students and help reduce their behavioral and emotional problems.

Learning disabilities are among the issues that have received much attention due to the growth of psychology in recent decades, and people with learning disabilities have a series of negative social reactions. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of interpersonal therapy on improving self-control and social anxiety in students with specific learning disabilities.

  This experimental research was conducted with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The research population included all students with specific learning disabilities referring to the specialized centers related to education in Ardabil and Germi Cities.  The research sample was 30 students with specific learning disabilities, who were selected by random sampling and placed in two experimental and control groups (15 people in each group).  To collect data, learning difficulties questionnaire (LDQ), Tanchi et al.'s self-control questionnaire and Lajersa's social anxiety questionnaire were used.  The experimental group received eight sessions of 60-minute short-term interpersonal relationship therapy by Kellerman et al., and no intervention was provided to the control group. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis by the SPSS27 software. 

The results showed that the short-term treatment of interpersonal relationships improved the self-control and social anxiety of students with specific learning disabilities (P<0.001). 

According to the obtained results, it is possible to teach interpersonal relationship therapy as an effective and alternative treatment method along with treatment methods to improve self-control, social anxiety and mental health, and reduce disorder symptoms and emotional-behavioral problems of students with learning disability disorders.
 Keywords: Interpersonal therapy, Self-control, Social anxiety, Specific learning disability

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of puppet play therapy and cognitive-behavioral play therapy on the social adaptation, communication skills and aggression of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is a semi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The research population included all elementary students of the second period (fourth, fifth and sixth) of schools in Bojnord City in the academic year 2022-2023. Overall, 45 people were selected by available sampling method and according to the entry and exit criteria, and were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group (15 people in each group). Participants in the pre-test stages of social adaptation scales (Throb et al, 1939), communication skills (Jerabek, 2004), Aggression (Buss and Perry, 1992) responded. Then during the intervention process of experimental groups, cognitive-behavioral play therapy intervention (Azerniushan et al., 2013); During 10 sessions and puppet play therapy intervention (Qaraei and Fatehabadi, 2013) received during 7 sessions and the control group received regular daily training.  After the end of the intervention, all the three groups responded to all the three scales again in the post-test stages. Data analysis was done using one-variable analysis of covariance using the SPSS 24 software.

The findings revealed that puppet play therapy was significantly more effective than cognitive-behavioral play therapy in increasing social adaptation, communication skills and reducing aggression.

According to the research results, it can be said that puppet play therapy plays an important role in increasing social adaptation and communication skills and reducing behavioral problems such as aggression in children with ADHD.
Keywords: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Puppet play therapy, Cognitive-behavioral play therapy, Aggression, Social adjustment, Communication skills

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of sensory-motor integration exercises based on the game sense approach on the executive functions of children with learning disorder.

This research was conducted in a semi-experimental way with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. Thirty-six female children with learning disorder were selected as a sample and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (two sensory-motor groups with game sense and goal-oriented approaches) and one control group. In the pre-test stage, the components of working memory, planning and problem solving were measured by N-Beck and Tower of London tests, respectively. Then the experimental groups participated in the exercises in the form of two sessions of 60 minutes per week, for a period of eight weeks. During this time, the control group did their normal activities. In the post-test phase, dependent variables were measured again. For statistical analysis, composite analysis of variance test was used.

Sensory-motor integration exercises based on the game sense approach improved the working memory component in the game sense group compared to the control group and improved the planning and problem solving component in the game sense group compared to the goal-oriented and control groups (p>0.05).

Sensory-motor integration exercises based on the game sense approach can be effective as an intervention on improving the executive functions of this group of children.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy in treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and inattention in 6-12-year-old children in Shahrekord City (Iran).

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, along with a non-equivalent control group. The statistical population included 6-12-year-old children diagnosed with ADHD in Shahrekord's welfare counseling centers. Overall, 30 children were randomly selected and divided into experimental (15) and control (15) groups. The experimental group received 10 one-hour music therapy sessions twice a week based on a designed protocol, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Conners' ADHD Rating Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition. Data analysis was done analyzed using the SPSS 24 software.

The Kolmogorov-Smirnov’s test results showed that the data were normally distributed. The multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed a significant positive effect of music therapy in treating ADHD and inattention. Moreover, the univariate ANCOVA indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in treating ADHD and inattention.

The study results demonstrated that music therapy can be an effective approach in treating ADHD and inattention in children. The findings reinforce the importance of using music as a therapeutic tool, which can serve as a foundation for future research. Additionally, the music therapy protocol used in this study can help counsellors and child psychologists design more effective treatment strategies for children with these disorders.

The birth of a child with intellectual disabilities can create challenging circumstances for parents and families, as parents unexpectedly face an emotional dilemma that leads to increased distress and concern. This research was conducted with the aim of developing a structural model of psychological well-being of mothers with children with intellectual disabilities based on the core of self-evaluation with the mediation of marital dissatisfaction.

The method of the present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in nature by the method of structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this research is all parents of children with intellectual disabilities who receive services from the welfare organization. The sample size in the present study was also considered to be 300 people, taking into account the possibility of sample drop. The sampling method used was also available. Data measurement tools included psychological well-being questionnaire, self-evaluation core scale, marital dissatisfaction questionnaire. Resulte: The results of the research showed that the psychological well-being of mothers with children with intellectual disabilities is based on the core of self-evaluation with the mediation of marital dissatisfaction.

These findings can serve as a basis for designing and implementing comprehensive and supportive programs in the field of psychology, aimed at enhancing core of self-evaluation and reducing marital dissatisfaction, thereby improving the quality of life and psychological well-being of mothers with children who have intellectual disabilities.