Comparing the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive therapy based on mindfulness on improving the selective attention of students with specific learning disorders

Learning disabilities are considered the main cause of poor academic performance, and every year a significant number of students face difficulties in learning academic subjects due to this reason. These difficulties are primarily attributed to deficiencies in executive functions such as selective attention. So far, there has been a research gap in investigating the effectiveness of two cognitive remediation approaches, namely cognitive enhancement therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, on improving selective attention in students with specific learning disabilities, and there is a noticeable research vacuum in this area.

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive therapy based on mindfulness in improving the selective attention of students with special learning disorders.

This study employed a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest, follow-up, and a control group. The population of the study included all elementary school students (grades 1 to 6) in learning disability centers in Zanjan City during the academic year 2021-2022. Sixty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (20 participants in each group). The experimental groups received 12 sessions of cognitive enhancement therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy interventions. The data were collected using the Stroop computerized test (SCWT) and analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni post-hoc test, and SPSS 23 software.

After the interventions, the level of selective attention in students with SLD increased, and there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups (p<0.05). Also, the CRT intervention had a greater effect on improving selective attention than MBCT. There was no significant difference between the post-test and follow-up test scores of the experimental groups.

The CRT and MBCT programs based on mindfulness were both effective in improving selective attention in students with SLD; however, the CRT intervention was more effective. It is recommended that learning disorder centers use these therapies as effective and cost-effective complementary treatment approaches to enhance the cognitive performance of students with SLD