Applied behavior analysis on inhibition, planning, and working memory of intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment

Abstract

Background and Aim: Children with intellec­tual disability have significant defects in the ess­ential elements that constitute mental develop­ment. The purpose of this study was to investi­gate the effectiveness of applied behavior analy­sis on inhibition, planning, and working mem­ory of intellectually disabled children with hear­ing impairment.

Methods: The study design was quasi-experi­mental with pretest, posttest and a group cont­rol. The study population comprised all intellec­tually disabled children with hearing impair­ment, referred to Yazd Rehabilitation Centers. A total of 30 students were selected from the hearing-impaired children with mild to mode­rate intellectual disability. Then, they were ran­domly assigned into control (n = 15) and experi­mental (n = 15) groups. The study instrument was the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire. The program based on applied behavior analysis presented for experimental group and after that the posttest were administered for both groups. Analyses of covariance was used to analyze data.

Results: The study result indicate that group therapy based on applied behavior analysis has significant effects on inhibition (p < 0.01) and planning (p < 0.05) of intellectually disabled children with hearing impairment, but cannot change their working memory (p < 0.17).

Conclusion: Applied behavior analysis can be used as a therapeutic method for improving exe­cutive functions in intellectually disabled child­ren with hearing impairment.