Iranian Journal of Learning and Memory

Abstract Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of water-based games in improving the reading skills of eight-year-old male students with dyslexia. Method: A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures and a control group was used. From a population of 150 second-grade male students referred to specialized learning disability centers in Hamadan in 2022, 30 students diagnosed with dyslexia were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=15 each). The experimental group received 15 sessions of structured water-based games (three times per week), while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Dyslexia Syndrome Checklist (Teacher Form; validity and reliability reported by Pakdaman Savoji, 2009), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Revised (WISC-R; Wechsler, 1974), and the NEMA Dyslexia Scale (Karami-Nouri & Moradi, 2008). Statistical analysis was performed using MANCOVA. Results: The results demonstrated that the experimental group achieved significantly higher overall reading performance than the control group (F = 45.09, p < .01; η² = .62). Significant improvements were also observed in reading-related skills, including word reading, rhyme, picture naming, text comprehension, and word understanding (p < .01). However, no significant progress was found in word strings, phoneme deletion, pseudoword reading, letter symbols, or category symbols (p > .05). Conclusions: The findings suggest that structured water-based games can effectively enhance reading performance in children with dyslexia, particularly in comprehension and vocabulary-related skills. However, limited improvements in phonological processing indicate that such interventions are most beneficial when combined with explicit phonological instruction.

Abstract Dyslexia is one of the neurodevelopmental disorders with interdisciplinary dimensions. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based Linguistic Games on semantic and phonological awareness of students with dyslexia. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design using pretest-posttest and a control group. The population of the study included all male students in the second grade with dyslexia, who were studying in the centers of learning disabilities in Mashhad- Iran. The research sample consisted of 20 students selected via convenient sampling method. The participants in the experimental group received 10 sessions of 45 minutes for training through the CBLG while the participants in the control group received the conventional training of learning disabilities in the centers. Language Development Test (TOLD-P3) was used in the pre-test and post-test to assess the semantic and phonological awareness of the students. The results of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of phonological (P< 0.05) and semantic (p< 0.001) awareness of the experimental and control groups. According to the findings, it became clear that training using educational linguistic games software package was more effective than conventional methods concerning the performance of semantic and phonological awareness.

Abstract Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) have major difficulties in learning and using listening, speaking, reading, writing, and math skills. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of proprioception-enhancing exercises on dyslexia and dysgraphia in students with SLD. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The study population consisted of all girl and boy elementary school students (2nd and 3rd grades) with SLD who received educational and rehabilitation services from public and private centers for learning disorders in Ahvaz, Iran in 2022. Using convenience sampling, 30 students were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (n= 15 per group). The participants in the experimental group received proprioception-enhancing exercises in twelve 45-minute sessions, whereas those in the control group received no intervention. The research instruments included the Reading and Dyslexia Test and Dysgraphia Test. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). According to the demographic results, the mean age of the students in the experimental and control groups was 8.64±2.31 and 8.30±2.47 years, respectively. The results showed that proprioception-enhancing exercises were effective in improving dyslexia and dysgraphia in students with SLD (p<0.01). It can be hence concluded that proprioception-enhancing exercises improve not only dyslexia and dysgraphia in students with SLD but also their academic performance.

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (D–KEFS) and Dawson–Guare program on neuropsychological functions in students with dyslexia. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, a control group, and a follow-up period. The statistical population included all boy and girl third-graders in Tehran within the 2018–2019 academic year. Based on the inclusion criteria, convenience sampling was employed to select 45 dyslexic students from all the boy and girl third-graders with dyslexia. The Raven IQ Test for Children (1983) and the Reading and Dyslexia Test (2016) was conducted for screening, and the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (2004) was utilized for assessment before and after interventions. The first experimental group received 17 sessions based on the D–KEFS, whereas the second experimental group received 17 sessions in the Dawson–Guare Program. The ANCOVA was then used in SPSS-24 for data analysis. The mean of the post-test and follow-up scores of neuropsychological functions in the D–KEFS and Dawson–Guare Program groups significantly decreased compared to the control group (p<0.01). Moreover, the D–KEFS intervention improved neuropsychological functions further than the Dawson–Guare Program (p<0.05). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there is a high correlation between enhancing executive skills in dyslexic children and improving their neuropsychological functions. It is possible to enhance neuropsychological functions, which underlie the reading skill, in dyslexic children through interventions that target a wide variety of executive functions.

Abstract In the present study, the effect of visual and auditory accuracy training strategies on improving reading performance in second-grade dyslexic students was investigated. The statistical population of this study was estimated to be 900 second grade elementary school students with dyslexia in Sabzevar in 2017. According to the study population, a sample of 30 dyslexic children referred to the Learning Disorders Center was selected by multistage cluster random sampling and randomly divided into three groups of ten (two experimental and one Control group) The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. The instruments used in the study were the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children (WISC-R), the reading performance test, and the teacher checklist. The experimental group participated in 12 sessions of audio-visual accuracy training while the control group received their instruction by the conventional teaching method during the same period. The duration of each session was 45 minutes. The obtained data were analyzed by covariance analysis method, and the results indicated that there is a significant difference between the adjusted mean of participants' reading error scores in the visual acuity group and the control group (p <0.0001). It was also found that visual and auditory accuracy training is practical in the reading progression of dyslexic students. Reinforcement of Visual and Auditory Accuracy Training Strategies as a prerequisite for neuropsychological neuropathy leads to improved reading performance in students with learning disabilities.