The Impact of Cognitive Rehabilitation Training Program on Non-verbal Intelligence, Attention and Concentration, and Academic Performance of Students with Dyscalculia

Background and Purpose: The approximately high frequency of dyscalculia and its consequences not only faces the affected individuals with special problems in their childhood, but also imposes a variety of material and spiritual expenses on the child, family, and society. The cognitive rehabilitation program includes training, maintaining, and processing the active memory components. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation training program on the increase of non-verbal intelligence skills, attention and concentration, and academic performance of students with dyscalculia. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample consisted of forty 9-11-year old male and female primary school students with dyscalculia, selected by convenience sampling from Mianeh city in the academic year 2017-2018 and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. Test of Attention (Brickenkamp, 2002), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Forth Edition, and Iran Key Math Test of Mathematics (Houman, 1997) were the instruments used in this study. After the pretest, the experimental group received sixteen 60-minute sessions of rehabilitation intervention which were hold individually twice per week. Finally, both groups were administered the posttest. Results: Results obtained by the analysis of covariance showed that cognitive rehabilitation training method had a significant effect on nonverbal intelligence skills (F (1, 37) = 4.859, p <0.05), attention and concentration (F (1, 37) = 92.956, P< 0.05), and academic performance (F (1, 37) =66.227, P< 0.05) of the participants in the experimental group.  Conclusion: Results indicate that cognitive rehabilitation training program which uses interesting practice programs designed hierarchically and in the form of a play, can invoke and reinforce the concerned brain parts of students with dyscalculia in the areas of attention and concentration, academic performance, and nonverbal intelligence and it can improve their mental and academic performance.