Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Improving Selective Attention in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Mohammadlou , Maryam; Sotoude Asl , Nemat; Ghorbani, Raheb; Talepasand , Siavash

Volume 15 - Articles-1404 MEJDS (2025) 15: 23 | Back to browse issues page

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Mohammadlou M, Sotoude Asl N, Ghorbani R, Talepasand S. Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Improving Selective Attention in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :23-23
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3261-en.html

Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Improving Selective Attention in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Maryam Mohammadlou¹

, Nemat Sotoude Asl ^*²

, Raheb Ghorbani³

, Siavash Talepasand⁴

1- PhD Student in Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
3- Professor, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
4- Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

Abstract: (569 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that arises from genetic and environmental factors and affects the brain's ability to quickly, accurately, and easily comprehend verbal and nonverbal information. Each year, a significant number of students face difficulties in learning academic subjects due to these disorders, primarily due to executive function deficits such as selective attention impairment. Students with SLD perform weaker in selective attention tests than typically developing students. Given the widespread prevalence of learning disorders among students, they will encounter significant educational challenges without timely diagnosis and treatment. These difficulties can lead to academic failure, dropout, and long–term negative effects on various aspects of personal and social life. Improving selective attention can enhance the academic performance of students with SLD. So far, there has been limited research on the effectiveness of cognitive–based therapy focused on mindfulness in improving selective attention in students with SLD, and there is a clear research gap in this area. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive–based therapy focused on mindfulness in improving selective attention in students with SLD.
Methods: This quasi–experimental study employed a pretest–posttest and follow–up design, including an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all elementary school students referred to special education centers for learning disorders in Zanjan City, Iran, during the academic year 2021–2022. These students were diagnosed with specific learning disorders by special education and rehabilitation centers of the Exceptional Education Organization, using clinical interviews and tools such as the fourth version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, etc. From the identified population, 40 individuals were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups, each consisting of 20 participants. Before the start of interventions, a computerized Stroop test (SCWT) (Stroop, 1935) was administered as a pretest to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions (2 sessions per week, each lasting 60 minutes) of mindfulness–based cognitive therapy over 6 weeks, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. After completing the training sessions, a posttest was administered to both groups to assess the immediate effects of mindfulness–based cognitive therapy. To examine the retention of the impact of the cognitive training exercises based on mindfulness, a follow–up test was conducted with the participants after a 3–month interval. The research data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS 24 software. Descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations were used at the descriptive level. In contrast, inferential statistics included repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni follow–up test at the inferential level. The significance level of statistical tests was set at 0.05.
Results: The results showed that after the implementation of mindfulness–based cognitive interventions, there was a significant difference in selective attention scores between the experimental and control groups, indicating a significant main effect of time and an interaction effect of time and group on selective attention scores (p<0.001). Within the experimental group, there was a significant difference in mean scores of selective attention between pretest and posttest (p=0.003) and between pretest and follow–up (p=0.014). However, no significant difference was found between the posttest and follow–up (p=‌0.100), indicating the sustained effect of mindfulness–based cognitive intervention on the selective attention variable during the follow–up phase.
Conclusion: Based on the research findings, mindfulness–based cognitive interventions have positively improved selective attention in students with specific learning disorders. Learning disorder centers are recommended to utilize mindfulness–based cognitive therapy as an effective and cost–efficient therapeutic approach to enhance the cognitive functioning of students with learning disorders.

Keywords: Specific learning disorder, Mindfulness–based cognitive therapy, Selective attention

Full-Text [PDF 281 kb] (68 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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