The Effectiveness of Play Therapy with a Filial Approach on Social Behavior andSelf-Control of Primary School Children with Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

he present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of play therapy with a filial approach on social behavior and self-control of primary school children with sluggish cognitive tempo. The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, control group and two-month follow-up period design. The statistical population of the present study included the primary school children with sluggish cognitive tempo in the city of Isfahan in the In the spring of 2021. 40 children with Sluggish Cognitive Tempo were selected through multi-stage random sampling method and they were randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups (each group of 20 children). The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute play therapy with a filial approach interventions. The applied questionnaires in this study included sluggish cognitive tempo questionnaire (McBurnet et al, 2014), social skills questionnaire (Matson, Rotatori, Helsel, 1983) and self-control questionnaire (Kendal, Wilcox, 1979). The data from the study were analyzed through Mixed ANOVA via SPSS-23 software. The results showed that play therapy with a filial approach has significant effect on the social behavior and self-control of primary school children with sluggish cognitive tempo (p<0.001) and this effectiveness has been stable in the follow-up phase. According to the findings of the present study it can be concluded that play therapy with a filial approach can be applied as an efficient method to increase the social behavior and self-control of primary school children with sluggish cognitive tempo through employing Empathetic and intimate reflection of the child’s feelings, encouragement and strengthening of parents and making communication problems with children natural.