The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and Cognitive Rehabilitation on Executive Functions in Students With Dyslexia.

PURPOSE: Many children with dyslexia achieve poor academic and career outcomes. They have problems with phonological processing, attention, and executive functions. Accordingly, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral play therapy and cognitive rehabilitation on executive functions in students with dyslexia.

METHOD: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design and a one-month follow-up. The statistical population included 8- to 12-year-old male and female students with dyslexia who referred to learning disorder centers in Babol city. First, 54 students were selected based on the inclusion criteria and convenience sampling method and then randomly assigned to three cognitive behavioral play therapy groups, cognitive rehabilitation group, and control group (18 people). The Brief Executive Function Behavioral Rating Questionnaire was used to collect data. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The findings showed that the post-test scores of executive functions of the intervention groups decreased; and these effects were maintained at follow-up (p < .001). Therefore, both interventions effectively improved executive functions. However, no significant difference was observed between the two intervention groups (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

Cognitive behavioral play therapy and cognitive rehabilitation can be used as an effective and accessible therapeutic approach in treating students with dyslexia to improve executive functions.