نشریه توانمندسازی کودکان استثنایی
سال یازدهم شماره 4 (زمستان 1399)

This study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training on the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and motivational skills of adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The present research was a semi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test design and a control group. Participants in this study were 30 girl adolescents with ADHD aged 13 to15 years old. Subjects were selected by convenient sampling method and divided into experiment and control groups randomly, each of which was consisted of 15 adolescents. Experiment group received emotional intelligence training in 12 sessions each lasting for 50 minutes, but control group did not. The tools used in present research were Felner, Lease and Philips Social Self-Competence Questionnaire (SCQ). Data were analyzed by MACNOVA using SPSS software. The results of MACNOVA on the difference mean of pre-test, post-test scores showed that experiment and control groups had significant differences at least in one of the sub-scales of the cognitive, behavioral, emotional or motivational skills. The final results showed that emotional intelligence training had significant and positive effect on all sub-scales (P<0/0001). Emotional intelligence training had significant effect on the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and motivational skills on the adolescents with ADHD. Since enhancement of these skills can lead to social self-competence of this adolescents, planning for emotional intelligence training is of particular importance for them.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between reflective function, empathy and mindfulness of adolescent girls. The present study was descriptive of correlation analysis type. The statistical population included all high school girl students in Tehran City during the academic year 2019-2020 whose age was between 15 - 18 years old. A total of 167 students were selected by random sampling. They answered, Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youth (RFQ-Y), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy (AMES). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. The result showed that mindfulness (r=434), empathy (r=439), and its components, including cognitive empathy (r=313), emotional empathy (r=244), and sympathy (r=197), had a positive and significant relationship with reflective function performance. Mindfulness also has a positive and significant relationship with empathy (r=245). The cognitive empathy and mindfulness could predict adolescent’s reflective function. Based on the results, efforts to improve empathy and mindfulness could lead to the improvement of reflective function capacity, so experts can design interventions to improve the reflective function capacity for adolescents

The present study was conducted aiming to determine the effectiveness of positive parenting program on attention deficiency and hyperactivity-impulsivity of the children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The statistical population of the present study included all the children with ADHD at the primary level in Khomeini Shahr Town and their parents in academic year 2018-19. The research method of the present study was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, and control group design. The sample size of the study included 30 children (13 girls & 17 boys) who were selected through non-random available sampling method and their parents were invited to take part in the study. The parents were replaced into experiment and control groups using random sampling method. The experiment group received eight ninety-minute sessions of therapeutic interventions based on positive parenting program once a week for two months. The tools included Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Questionnaire, Teachers’ Conner’s Form (Brook and Clinton, 2007) and Conners’ scale of grading behavioral problems for parents (Goyette, Conners, Ulrich, 1978). Data analysis was conducted via SPSS23 through descriptive statistics and ANCOVA method. The results showed that positive parenting program significantly influences attention deficit (p<0.001) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (p<0.001) of the children with ADHD. The findings of the present study indicate that positive parenting program using normal parenting methods and appropriate communication principles should be used as an effective method to reduce attention deficit and hyperactivity-impulsivity in children with ADHD.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on reduction of parent-child conflict in professional adolescent female athletes with athletic injury. The method of the study was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and follow-up design and a control group. The statistical population included all adolescent female athletes with sports injuries in national teams, leagues and national competitions during 2019 in Tehran City, from among which 30 people were selected using available sampling and assigned to two groups of 15 people (experiment group and control group) randomly. Then, in pre-test all participants completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (1996), which measures three subscales including reasoning and verbal and physical aggression. In the next phase, the experiment group, despite the control group), received a one-month ACT intervention (twice a week, 90 min each). Finally, both groups took part in post-test and follow-up test. The results of MANOVA showed main effects of test and group and test*group interaction were significant for conflict and two of subscales (reasoning & verbal aggression; Ps< 0/001), but not for physical aggression (Ps>0/05). For all three variables, more analysis indicated that experiment group performed better in post-test and follow-up as compared to pre-test, but the performance of control group did not differ significantly in three different tests. In addition, experiment group outperformed control group in post-test and follow-up. In conclusion, ACT can reduce parent-child conflict in professional adolescent female athletes with athletic injury.

The aim of this study was designing and investigating the effectiveness of long-distance support program on externalizing problems and attention in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during COVID-19 pandemic. The research method used was a mixed method.  The first stage of the research was conducted using grounded theory. 13 experts who were selected by purposive sampling method, were interviewed. Interview data were analyzed using theoretical coding. The second stage of the research was done using quasi-experimental method of heterogeneous groups with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population of this stage of the research included elementary school's boy students in District 1 of Tehran City. Two schools were selected by the available sampling method and 18 students were divided into experiment group and control groups. The long-distance support program was conducted in 12 weeks. The CSI-4 (1994) Pediatric Symptoms Questionnaire and the Achenbach and Rescular Child Behavior Inventory (2001) were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA. Findings indicate that the implementation of long-distance support program on improving the focus and attention of children with ADHD is not effective, but this program has had a positive effect on reducing the externalized problems of children with ADHD. Implementing remote support programs and maintaining communication with children with ADHD and their parents can be a good alternative to treatment programs and preventing externalizing problems in these children.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of child-oriented mindfulness trainingon alexithymia and emotional regulation of the children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). The research design was experimental of pretest, posttest type with control group. The statistical population of the present study included children with SLD in the elementary school of Tehran in the academic year 2018-19. 30 individuals (17 boys and 13 girls) were selected through multi-stage clustered sampling and they were randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups. The instruments applied included fourth edition of Wechsler Intelligence Test (Wechsler, 2003), Questionnaire of Alexithymia (Ryff et.al, 2006), Questionnaire of Learning Problems (Wilcot et.al, 2011) and the Questionnaire of Emotional Regulation (Gross and John, 2003). The experiment group received 10 sessions of child-oriented mindfulness trainingintervention during two-and-a-half months. The data taken from the study were analyzed through MANCOVA method via SPSS23 statistical software. The results showed child-oriented mindfulness traininghas had significant effect on alexithymia and emotional regulations of the children with learning disability (p<0.001). The degrees of the effect of child-oriented mindfulness trainingon alexithymia and emotional regulation of the children with SLD were 50% and 67% respectively. According to the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that mindfulness trainingcan be used as an efficient therapy to decrease alexithymia and improve emotional regulation of the children with learning disability through employing techniques such as thoughts, emotions and mindful behavior.