فصلنامه روان شناسی افراد استثنایی
پیاپی 6 (تابستان 1391)

This study aims at investigating the relation between attachment to God and mental health among the parents of exceptional and normal children. The present study is an applied research conducted by correlational methodology. 358 persons (125 parents of normal students and 233 parents of exceptional ones) were selected via random cluster sampling. They answered the scales of God attachment styles (Larson and Ghobari, 2009) and SCL-90-R. The data were analyzed by using correlation coefficient, T test and Z test. The results show that there is a highly significant relationship between attachment to God and mental health of the two groups of this study. Also, the relationship between the said two variables is more significant in the parents of exceptional children than those of normal ones (p = / 0001). The result of the present study showed that there is a significant relationship between attachment to God and mental health in parents of exceptional and normal children. It is thus suggested that in order to reduce stress and improve mental health in parents of exceptional children, they should be encouraged to have faith and rely on God.

This study aims at predicting the general mental health based on resilience in adolescent siblings of students with intellectual disabilities. The present study is an applied research conducted by correlational methodology. The statistical population of this research includes all the adolescent (12–18 year-old) siblings of students with intellectual disabilities in Shiraz city in the academic year 2011–2012. The sample size is 91 adolescent (50 females and 41 males) siblings selected by random cluster sampling. Conner & Davidson resilience scale was applied to measure the resilience of siblings, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28) was used for measuring mental health disorders. The data were analyzed by using multiple regression test, which show that resilience is a significant negative predictor of symptoms of somatic disorder, anxiety, social dysfunction and depression (p<0/01). These findings are indicative of the role and importance of resilience in mental health of siblings of students with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, in order to increase the mental health of adolescents, who have siblings with intellectual disabilities, resilience training programs should be designed and implemented as a pre-emptive action.

The aim of this research is to assess the auditory information processing in blind adolescents. The present study is an applied research carried out by field research methodology. 15 blind and 15 sighted students (aged from 14 to 16) of high schools in Tehran and suburbs were selected. In order to assess the speed of auditory information processing, both sample groups were tested using two versions of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT2.8 & PASAT1.6). The data were analyzed by T (independent) statistical test. Blind students didn’t show any significant difference with sighted ones in PASAT 2.8 (α= 0.05); however, they showed a highly significant difference in PASAT 1.6 (α= 0.05). In other words, blind students performed better than sighted ones. The results indicate that when it comes to auditory information processing speed, performance of blind students is relatively better than sighted ones in PASAT test. The faster the presentation of stimulus, the more significant is the difference of their performance. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that when educating blind students, teachers should pay attention to their special abilities in processing auditory information and lay more stress on educating these students by relying on their auditory abilities.

This study investigates the prevalence of symptoms of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in gifted students of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. The present study is a descriptive (epidemiology) research. 1800 students (800 girls & 1000 boys) were selected using multistage cluster sampling from among 34,529 students of state and private middle schools in the academic year 2010–2011. Finally, the participants we selected were 220 students (77 girls & 143 boys) with an IQ of 127 or more. The data were collected by diagnostic questionnaire of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, clinical interview with students and their mothers, and Raven Progressive Matrix. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical method and Chi square test. Generally, 8/2 percent of gifted students (%6/8 of whom were girls and %9 were boys) had ADHD symptoms. Thus, considering the standard error of estimate, the overall prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in gifted students was seen to be in the range of 4/7 to 11/7 percent. ADHD symptoms can affect the intelligence of students. Therefore, belated diagnosis of ADHD in gifted students might cause problems in their treatment and also their academic and social progress. The results of the present study can be applied in educational settings and show the necessity of providing psychological and counseling services for management and treatment of this disorder. Offering such services in schools for gifted students could prevent the negative consequences of this disorder in their educational and social life.

The present research aims at investigating into the effect of parenting styles of mothers on the development of oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in elementary school male students. The present study is an applied research carried out by field research methodology. The statistical population consists of all mothers of male students of elementary schools in Ilam city. 60 mothers of children with oppositional defiant disorder and mothers of normal children were selected as the sample for this research. Then, the data were homogenized based on age, education and economic status. The child behavior checklist (parents’ CBCL report form and TRF) was used as a selector tool, and questionnaire of the parenting styles presented by Diana Baumrind was applied in order to investigate the parenting styles of the chosen mothers. The results of this research show that there is a significant difference between parenting styles of the mothers of the studied groups in terms of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting patterns in the level of (p< 0.05). Mothers of children with oppositional defiant disorders mostly apply authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and rarely use the authoritative one. The parenting style plays an important role in mental health of children. Sound and healthy relationships help parents to recognize and try to meet the needs of children. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the effects and consequences of parenting styles. It is thus suggested that parents should be educated about the effects of each parenting style.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of increase in social interest on reducing problems of children with ADHD. The present study is a quasi-experimental research conducted with pretest, posttest, and follow-up control group design. To this end, 31 individuals, who visited clinics in Urmia and were diagnosed with this disorder, were selected through convenience sampling and were divided randomly into experimental and control groups. Conners’ rating scale was used as the pretest for both groups. The experimental group attended 15 training sessions about development of sense of belonging and social interest. On the other hand, the control group remained uninvolved. The same scale was administered to both groups as posttest and a three-month follow-up. The covariance analysis was used to analyze the data. The results show that ADHD symptoms are significantly reduced in the control group which was encouraged to increase its social interest. The results of the present study emphasize the fact that developing the sense of belonging and social interest is the essential part of any treatment or guidance program for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Fernald’s multisensory method on dyslexic children. To this end, one male and one female student with dyslexia were selected by convenience sampling and were trained using Fernald’s multisensory approach. The present study is conducted within the framework of an empirical case study using the single-subject research design. For this purpose, 20 training sessions were held with two-month and three-month follow-ups. In order to evaluate children’s development, the test of reading and dyslexia (NAMA) was administered. The results show improvement in the tested children, whose condition remained stable in the two-month and three-month follow-ups. It is suggested that other age and educational groups are used in future researches.