The effectiveness of play therapy on improving the speed of information processing and social / emotional processing in students with dyslexia

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of play therapy on improving the speed of information processing and social / emotional processing in students with dyslexia. The research method was experimental with a pretest-postest design and with a control group. The statistical population included all students of elementary school in Ardabil city who had dyslexia in school year of 2017-2018. A sample of 30 students were selected by sampling method and were divided into two groups (15 in experimental and 15 in control group). The experimental group received 8 an- hour sessions of training. Data were collected using the emotional processing scale, Wechsler's IQ Scale for Children and the theory of mind Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) through SPSS20. The results showed that the play therapy had a significant effect on improving the speed of information processing and social/emotional processing in students with dyslexia (P<0.01). These results provide important implications for education and counseling services as part of treatment for students with dyslexia.