Effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation based on recognition of emotion and memory on visual working memory and facial emotion processing in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Intervention based on emotion processing and memory can provide a platform for improving the encoding, storing, and recognition of emotions in children. The current research study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation based on recognition of emotion processing and memory‎ intervention on facial emotion processing and visual working memory in children with symptoms of attention-deficit/impulsivity disorder in Selseleh city.

The method was a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group. Using a multi-stage sampling method, 34 students from 8-12 years old elementary school with inclusion criteria were selected as the final sample and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups of 17 subject. Then, the experimental group participated in 50-minute sessions of Captain Log's visual working memory and emotion rehabilitation package intervention for 13 weeks. It should be noted before and after the intervention sessions, both experimental and control groups answered the subscales of facial emotion processing and visual working memory of the CANTAB(2014) instrument.

The MANCOVA results showed that working memory intervention improved visual working memory (F= 25/70 and P<0.001) and facial emotion processing (P=12/72 and P<0.001) in the experimental group compared to the control one.

It can be said based on the findings, that cognitive rehabilitation based on recognition of emotion and memory intervention was effective in improving emotion processing and visual working memory in children. Therefore, improving the cognitive and emotional abilities of students with attention-deficit/impulsivity symptoms in this approach is suggested at educational centers