Effects of the Lidcombe Program and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy on Stuttering Reduction in Preschool Children.

PURPOSE: The present study explored the effectiveness of the Lidcombe Program, the parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) approach, and an integrated (Lid-PCIT) program on the treatment of children who stutter. METHODS: The present research was a single-subject study with an alternative treatment design. Participants were 6 preschool children who were randomly assigned into three groups. Each group received the entire indirect (PCIT), direct (Lidcombe), or integrated (Lid-PCIT) program and were assessed through severity rating (SR), and percent stuttered syllables (%SS), and video analysis. RESULTS: For all children the SR and the %SS were reduced but the percentage of non-overlapping data of the three interventions showed that it was reduced more in the Lidcombe and in the Lid-PCIT programs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided preliminary evidence that Lidcombe, PCIT, and integrated programs were effective in reducing the SR and the %SS in preschool children who stutter. These results are potentially important as both indirect and direct interventions in the primary years can help children who stutter to overcome their disorder.

Comparing the Effect of Thinking Maps Training Package Developed by the Thinking Maps Method on the Reading Performance of Dyslexic Students.

The present study aimed to develop the thinking maps training package and compare its training effect with the thinking maps method on the reading performance of second and fifth grade of elementary school male dyslexic students. For this mixed method exploratory study, from among the above mentioned grades' students in Isfahan, 90 students who met the inclusion criteria were selected by multistage sampling and randomly assigned into six experimental and control groups. The data were collected by reading and dyslexia test and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition. The results of covariance analysis indicated a significant difference between the reading performance of the experimental (thinking maps training package and thinking maps method groups) and control groups ([Formula: see text]). Moreover, there were significant differences between the thinking maps training package group and thinking maps method group in some of the subtests ([Formula: see text]). It can be concluded that thinking maps training package and the thinking maps method exert a positive influence on the reading performance of dyslexic students; therefore, thinking maps can be used as an effective training and treatment method.

COVID-19 and challenges of assistive technology use in Iran.

PURPOSE: Assistive technology users may encounter challenges and inequality in having an access to health information and care during the emergency or in a crisis time. This issue seems to be understudied in most developing countries. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by Iranian people with disabilities faced during the COVID-19 pandemic as far as the use of assistive technology is concerned. METHOD: A thematic analysis approach was employed to collect and analyse the data. We interviewed 10, 12 and 20 participants with physical, visual, and hearing disability, respectively during the pandemic between May to July 2020. A six-step thematic analysis method was used to identify categories and main themes. RESULTS: The results revealed that people with disability were faced with some challenges in accessing information or receiving it on time during the emergency time. The lack of clear information may increase uncertainty about providing, using or maintaining assistive products. With no clear information or instruction, increased fear of infection, as well as the lack of necessary infrastructure for using available online applications, people with a disability had to rely more on others and seemed to feel disempowered. CONCLUSION: Assistive technology (AT) users may not receive enough care and attention during health crisis, nor may be included in crisis management programs. Actions to create preparedness plans to meet the needs of AT users in possible future crisis seem to be necessary.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAssistive technology users' voice and needs should be given priority in crisis management programs.Web accessibility barriers and information accessibility challenges need more research attention in order to create effective and timely information dissemination programs.There seems to be a research gap about AT users during health crisis, and more research in this area is needed.

The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan Training on Stereotypic Behavior of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This quasi-experimental study investigated effects of Tai Chi Chuan training on stereotypic behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder. Twenty-three participants (mean age = 9.60 ± 1.40 years) were assigned to experimental (N = 12) and control (N = 11) groups. The experimental group received 12 weeks of Tai Chi training and all participants had pre, post, and one-month follow-up assessments. Stereotypic behavior measured using Gilliam Autism Rating Scale 2 Scores, was significantly altered by ~ 25% in the Tai Chi Chuan group. Behavioral change was maintained at follow up since there was no significant difference between that and the posttest. In conclusion, Tai Chi Chuan training is a useful and appropriate intervention to modulate behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: with due attention to the importance of learning disabilities and necessity of presenting interventions for improvement of these disorders in order to prevent future problems, this study used meta-analysis of the research model on the impact of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities. METHODS: with the use of meta-analysis method by integrating the results of various researches, this study specifies the effect of psychological and educational interventions. In this order, 57 studies, which their methodology was accepted, were selected and meta-analysis was performed on them. The research instrument was a meta-analysis checklist. RESULTS: The effect size for the effectiveness of psychological-educational interventions on improving the academic performance of students with mathematics disorder (0.57), impaired writing (0.50) and dyslexia (0.55) were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The result of meta-analysis showed that according to Cohen's table, the effect size is above average, and it can be said that educational and psychological interventions improve the academic performance of students with learning disabilities.

The effect of kangaroo mother care on mental health of mothers with low birth weight infants.

BACKGROUND: The mothers of premature infants are at risk of psychological stress because of separation from their infants. One of the methods influencing the maternal mental health in the postpartum period is kangaroo mother care (KMC). This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of KMC of low birth weight infants on their maternal mental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Premature infants were randomly allocated into two groups. The control group received standard caring in the incubator. In the experimental group, caring with three sessions of 60 min KMC daily for 1 week was practiced. Mental health scores of the mothers were evaluated by using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by the analysis of covariance using SPSS. RESULTS: The scores of 50 infant-mother pairs were analyzed totally (25 in KMC group and 25 in standard care group). Results of covariance analysis showed the positive effects of KMC on the rate of maternal mental health scores. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and control subjects in the posttest period (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: KMC for low birth weight infants is a safe way to improve maternal mental health. Therefore, it is suggested as a useful method that can be recommended for improving the mental health of mothers.

The relationship of emotional intelligence and mental disorders with internet addiction in internet users university students.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of emotional intelligence and mental disorders, with internet addiction in university students. METHODS: The method of study was descriptive-pilot one and correlation. Two hundred internet users (male and female) from Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Technology were randomly selected. For data collection Carson's emotional intelligence Questionnaire SCL-90 scale and Internet Addiction Test were used. Data analysis was implemented using multivariate regression statistical method. FINDINGS: Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, aggression, phobia, hypochondria disorders, and emotional intelligence were the most significant predictors of Internet addiction. Moreover, there were significant correlations between these variables and Internet addiction disorder (P < 0.001). Moreover the findings showed that there were significant associations between depressive (R = 0.33), summarization (R = 0.24), and interpersonal sensitivity (R = 0.20) disorders. In this study no correlation was found between internet addiction disorder with psychosis and paranoid ideation. Moreover, among mental disorders, there was only a significant difference between the sexes in depression (P < 0.001); the men showed more depressive tendencies than women. CONCLUSION: The results showed a correlation between emotional intelligence and mental disorders with internet addiction, but these results can help therapists, psychologists and counselors in providing services to help internet addicts.