Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
Developmental delays in brain growth significantly limit the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities. In recent years, Polyvagal Theory has emerged as a robust framework for addressing various psychological challenges. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Polyvagal Theory-based therapy on social skills and behavioral problems in students with developmental intellectual disabilities. This quasi-experimental research employed a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. A convenience sampling method was used to select 30 students with developmental intellectual disabilities, who were then assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of 90-minute interventions (two sessions per week). The research tools included the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) by Gresham and Elliott (1990) to assess social skills and behavioral problems. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS software. The results indicated that the Polyvagal Theory-based intervention package significantly improved social skills (F = 19.94, p = 0.001) and reduced behavioral problems (F = 16.43, p = 0.001) at a significance level of 0.05. According to the findings of this study, Polyvagal Theory-based therapy had a significant impact on enhancing social skills and reducing behavioral problems in students with developmental intellectual disabilities. These findings offer positive outcomes for children with special needs.
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