Psychology of Exceptional Individuals

Abstract Nowadays, emotions have an important effect on our behaviors. Therefore, in many studies conducted on emotional intelligence (EI), the researchers have tried to find out the relationship of EI and different variables. However a few studies have been conducted to examine whether emotional intelligence training can improve EI. The purpose of the present study is to investigate EI training and to evaluate its effectiveness on the EI of students with visual impairment. We used a pre-post test experimental design through a convenient sample of 19 middle school students with visual impairments who are divided into two experimental (9 students) and control groups (10 students). In this study, EI is measured by the Bar-On Emotional Quotient-Inventory Youth Version (Bar-On & Parker, 2000). Also, T-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) are used to analyze the gathered data. The results show significant differences between the two groups in EI after 15 sessions of emotional intelligence training. It is also revealed that it is possible to develop EI training programs for enhancing EI in students with visual impairment.

Abstract This
research aims at identifying the necessary social skills for students with
mental retardation in work place.The present study is a descriptive-survey design. In this regard, 142
teachers are selected as sample using convenient sampling method. In the next
stage, perspectives of teachers are surveyed using a researcher-developed
questionnaire. After preliminary study and determination of the psychometric
properties of the questionnaire, it is administered on the target samples. The data analysis identified the 25
necessary social skills for students with mental retardation in work place. As a conclusion, social skills
include various levels prioritized by teachers for the success of persons with
mental retardation in work place. Therefore, social
skills identified in this study can be used in vocational planning for mentally
retarded students

Abstract The
present paper aims at
comparing the attributional
style and resilience in students with visual or motor disabilities and normal
students. In this applied and field research, the statistical population
includes all normal and disabled students aged between 15 and 19 years old in
Sari and Qaemshahr Cities. 120 students (60
students with visual and motor disability and 60 normal students) from the school of Sari and Qaemshahr cities participated in the
study. All participants were asked to complete the attributional style questionnaire (ASQ) and (CD-RTS9) resilience questionnaire. Analysis of the data involved both descriptive
and inferential statistics including means, standard deviation, multivariate
analysis of variance, correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. The result of analysis of variance show that there is
a significant difference between students with (visual and motor) disabilities
and normal students in components of unpleasant
internal-external attribution, unpleasant temporary-stable attribution,
geneal-specific attribution and resilience. This indicates
a more pessimistic attributional
style in the first group. There is a positive correlation between
attributional style and resiliency. The regression
analysis shows that the components of attributional style can predict the
resiliency (p<0.01). The results of this study suggest that education
professionals should embark on planning and implementing combined therapeutic
programs for students with visual and motor disabilities who suffer from
emotional disorders

Abstract One of the most serious problems of blind people
in their lives is the difficulty in adjusting to their disability. When the
blind person doesn’t succeed in adjusting to his/her condition and to
environment in general, insecurity and frustration will set in and that would
cause to misbehaviors. Thus, the aim of current research was investigating the impact of group counseling
with rational-emotive-behavior approach on increasing adjustment of blind
students. The research method was
Quasi-experimental method with pre-test and post-test design with one group. 7
blind students were selected via available
sampling procedure that diagnosed maladjustment with utilizing blind adjustment questionnaire
and participated at 10 sessions of group counseling with rational-emotive-behavior
approach.  after ending group counseling
sessions, participants answered to adjustment questionnaire again. Analyzing
data with paired samples t test indicated that group counseling with
rational-emotive-behavior approach was effective at increasing general,
emotional, social, and educational adjustment of blind students. With regard to
research findings could say that , rational-emotive-behavior approach is
affective method for increasing adjustment of blind students

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the
efficacy of meaning training on resiliency and improving the lifequality of mothers
with children of special needs in Borazjan city. 222 mothers completed the
questionnaire of World Health Organization Quality Of Life and
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Then 40 of these persons with one standard
deviation below the mean score in both questionnaires were selected randomly
for testing the hypothesis. These 40 persons were divided into two groups
randomly (experimental and control group). At first the two groups took a
pre-test, and then the experimental group received meaning training for 10 90-minute
sessions. At the end, both groups took post-test simultaneously and after one
month the follow-up test was done. The data of the study were analyzed by MANCOWA method. The results show that the meaning training has
increased resiliency and improved the quality of life of the experimental group
in comparison with the control group.
A Follow-up study after one month shows the usefulness of meaning training on resiliency
and quality of life

Abstract Various researches have consistently shown that
people with mental disabilities have difficulties in recognizing, describing
and responding to the emotional states of others. The aim of this research is
to compare empathy dimensions of two groups of students with and without
intellectual disabilities. The statistical population of this research consists
of all students with mild intellectual disability and typically developing
students of elementary schools of Shiraz in the academic year of 2010-2011. 733
students, 339 with mild intellectual disabilities and 393 normal students, aged
between 7 and 11 years old are selected as sample from elementary schools of
Shiraz. The instrument of the study is the Griffith Empathy Measure (Dadds
& et al, 2008). The scale has three dimensions; affectional, cognitive and
general. Parents of the sample students are asked to complete the questionnaire.
The reliability of the scale is studied by test-retest reliability (affectioal α=
.66, cognitive α= .57, and general α= .71). The validity is confirmed by
internal consistency. The study achieved the following results: 1) there is no
significant difference between the two groups in the affectional empathy
dimension. In contrast, results indicate significant difference in the
cognitive and general dimensions, because the typically developing students had
higher scores in the cognitive and general dimensions than students with
intellectual disabilities. 2) In the affectional dimension, females achieved
higher scores than males. 3) In the general empathy dimension, females without
disability had higher scores than males with intellectual disability

Abstract The purpose of this study is to compare
signs of anxiety and depression in draw a person test in mentally retarded and
normal students. In this descriptive research, the statistical population consists
of all 11 year-old educable mentally retarded and normal students of Shahriyar
city in the academic year of 2011-2012. 33 educable mentally retarded students are
selected through convenient sampling and 33 normal students were selected
using cluster random sampling. Draw a person test (DAP) is used to collect
information. The data re analyzed using Mann-Whitney test.The results show that there is significant
difference in the rate of anxiety and depression between educable mentally
retarded and normal students reflected in their drawings. This means that
educable mentally retarded students had shown greater measures of anxiety and
depression in their drawings

Abstract The purpose of this research is to determine the
effect of group plays on psychomotor development of educable mentally disabled
boys (aged 5 to 7 years old). Thestatistical population of this study
includes all boys with educable mental disability in preschool. The sample
consists of 20 boys who are randomly selected from three special schools in
Isfahan city. Then they are randomly assigned into two experimental and control
groups. The instrument used in this research is Lincoln Oseretsky Test of Motor
Proficiency and Education Group Play. A pretest is administered on both the
experimental and control groups. Then education play training is employed on
the experimental group for one mouth and 12 sessions. A post test is
administered on both groups at the end of training. The results show there is a
significant difference between the mean scores of Lincoln Oseretsky Test of
Motor Proficiency in the experimental and the control groups in the post test
(p<0.001). The effect size is 69%. It is therefore concluded that group play
could increase psychomotor development in educable mentally disabled boys. So
we can use group plays on psychomotor development in preschool children in
addition to another methods

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine and
predict factors related to anxiety of mothers with exceptional children in
Jiroft city in 2011. In this applied and correlative research, the statistical
population includes all the mothers of mentally retarded, deaf and blind
children who are being educated in schools special for exceptional children in
Jiroft. The sample consists of 60 mothers of exceptional children who are
selected by random sampling. The answers given to Beck anxiety and the
researcher-made questionnaires are analyzed by using correlation coefficient
and multiple regression method. Analysis of the data reveal that there is a
significant correlation between the mother’s anxiety and the knowledge of
mothers about how to raise and treat exceptional children, the social
limitations of mothers, the root cause of disability of the exceptional child,
the effect of the child’s disability on family relationships, sense of responsibility
of mothers, and the father’s presence. In addition, the result of this study
show there are factors that increase the mothers’ anxiety