Aim and Background: Previous studies have shown that individuals with hearing impairments suffer from anxiety disorders such as social phobia. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of social skills training on the treatment of social phobia in individuals with hearing impairment. Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study was performed with a pretest-posttest design and control group. From among all 8-18 year-old male students with hearing impairment in Arak, Iran, 22 who obtained the highest scores in the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) were selected. The participants were matched according to age and intelligence, and then, randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. The experimental group received social skills training 2 sessions per week for 2 months. To analyze data, independent t-test and ANCOVA were applied. Findings: The experimental group obtained better results in pretest and follow-up (P < 0.001) in comparison to the control group. The results showed that social skills training had a significant impact on reduction of social phobia in these individuals. Conclusions: It can be concluded that social skills training is an effective intervention method in decreasing social phobia in individuals with hearing impairment.
Aim and Background: Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with deficits in cognition and motor skills. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of sensory-motor integration on balance and reading performance in children with dyslexia. Methods and Materials: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest and control group. The study subjects consisted of 32 students with dyslexia in schools of Arak, Iran. The participants were randomly selected and assigned to the experimental (n = 16) and control groups (n = 16). The data collection tools were the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and Karami Nouri, and Moradi’s Reading Test. The experimental group participated in 12 sessions of the sensory-motor integration intervention program. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA. Findings: Sensory-motor integration significantly improved balance and reading performance scores of experimental group in posttest (P > 0.001). Conclusions: It seems that sensory-motor integration training is effective in the improvement of balance and reading performance of children with dyslexia. Thus, the consideration of these results and the mechanism of effect of this treatment method may have positive impact on the reduction of issues experienced by individuals with dyslexia.
