OBJECTIVE. Children with a specific learning disability (SLD) have deficits in social and academic competence and executive function (EF). In this study, we used the Model of Human Occupation to investigate the effect of peer-play activities on occupational values and competence as well as EF skills (i.e., behavior regulation and metacognition) in children with SLD. METHOD. Forty-nine children ages 7–11 yr with SLD were randomly assigned to the peer-play and control groups. Outcome measures were the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA). RESULTS. Data analysis showed that the effects of the intervention on EF skills were medium to large. The occupational values and competence did not change according to the COSA. CONCLUSION. Occupational therapy practitioners can use peer-play activities to enhance EF in children with SLD; however, perceived occupational values and competence may not show any changes with the peer-play intervention using a self-assessment instrument.

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Introduction:Although the effect of educational methods on executive function (EF) is well known, training this function by a playful method is debatable. The current study aimed at investigating if a play-based intervention is effective on metacognitive and behavioral skills of EF in students with specific learning disabilities.Methods:In the current randomized, clinical trial, 49 subjects within the age range of 7 to 11 years with specific learning disabilities were randomly assigned into the intervention (25 subjects; mean age 8.5±1.33 years) and control (24 subjects; mean age 8.7±1.03 years) groups. Subjects in the intervention group received EF group training based on playing activities; subjects in the control group received no intervention. The behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF) was administered to evaluate the behavioral and cognitive aspects of EF. The duration of the intervention was 6 hours per week for 9 weeks. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare mean changes (before and after) in the BRIEF scores between the groups.Results:The assumptions of multivariate analysis of covariance were examined. After controlling pre-test conditions, the intervention and control groups scored significantly differently on both the metacognition (P=0.002; effect size=0.20) and behavior regulation indices (P=0.01; effect size=0.12) of BRIEF.Conclusion:Play-based therapy is effective on the metacognitive and behavioral aspects of EF in students with specific learning disabilities. Professionals can use play-based therapy rather than educational approaches in clinical practice to enhance EF skills.

Background and Objectives: Aggression and impulsivity are some of the behavioral symptoms in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Neurofeedback (NF) training has been suggested as a promising treatment in these children. The purpose of this study was investigating the effect of NF training on aggression and impulsivity in schoolchildren with ADHD. Materials and Methods: A total of forty male elementary schoolchildren with ADHD aged 11.17 ± 0.97 were randomized into NF and sham groups. The NF group received 12 60-min NF training sessions (twice a week) using the Hammond protocol. The subjects' parents were questioned to evaluate the outcomes including aggression and impulsivity using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), respectively. Results: After intervention in the NF group, the BPAQ score changed from 87.60 ± 9.33 to 81 ± 7.23 and the BIS score from 94.7 ± 7.25 to 88.05 ± 5.4, which were significant with p = 0.001. The results indicated the large effect size of NF on aggression and impulsivity in ADHD. Conclusion: Our findings suggest NF training as a clinically applicable method for decreasing aggression and impulsivity, also support concurrent use of medication and NF training in children with ADHD.

Objective Self-determination is the ability of recognizing, setting and achieving goals based on knowledge and self-assessment. This ability is essential for the healthy development of adolescents. Self-determination is influenced by knowledge, skills, beliefs, and contextual factors that exist in one's living environment. Since it is an essential element for having a successful life, its assessment and related skills are also important; however, there is no assessment tool for its measurement in Iranian population. The aim of this study was to translate the Self-Determination Student Scale (SSDS) into Persian and determine its psychometric properties including face, content, and construct validity as well as internal consistency and test-retest reliability in adolescents aged 14-18 years. Materials & MethodsIn this methodological study, the SSDS was translated into Persian to be used on Iranian population and validated according to the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) protocol. Samples were 498 high school students (mean age = 15.15±0.9; 227 females and 221 males) who were selected using convenience sampling technique with maximum diversity in Tehran. They were divided into two groups of with and without emotional/behavioral symptoms using the Youth Self-Report tool. The face validity of the translated SSDS was determined based on the opinions of samples and experts. The Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were also calculated for each items of the translated version. The construct validity was tested by comparing known groups (gender groups and groups at risk of emotional/behavioral disorders). Moreover, its internal consistency was estimated by Kuder-Richardson formula, and test-retest reliability was tested using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) on 16 students with a time interval of 14 days. Results In the Persian version of SDSS, 4 items were removed from the original version. After confirmation of its face validity after modification, it was found that its items had appropriate content validity based on CVI and CVR scores. The mean of self-determination score under all subscales and most of items was significant between the gender group and the group at risk of emotional/behavioral disorders (P< 0.001). The Kuder-Richardson coefficient was obtained 0.89 and for five subscales, it was in a range of 0.51 to 0.72. The ICC (0.98; 95% CI:0.95 to 0.98) approved the good reliability of the instrument. Conclusion The Persian version of SDSS had good validity (face, content, and construct) and reliability after testing it on the high school students. Therefore, it can be used in clinical and research studies to assess the self-determination of students. Considering the importance of self-definition in adolescence, there is a need for further studies using the SDSS to highlight the potential problems of high school students in self-determination and designing related training programs.