Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant professor, Department of psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2 Master of Sience (M.S) in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Executive Functions Training Program on Social and Communication Skills of Children who have Autism spectrum disorders. This was a quasi-experimental research, and a pre-test, post-test, follow-up and control group. To do so, 10 Autisms 7 to 12 years from special clinics of Beautiful Mind in Tehran city were selected by accessible sampling method. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) and Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for diagnosis of Autism were used and them were randomly distributed into experimental and control groups. Social and communication skills were assessed by Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Experimental group received executive Functions Training for 15 one hour sessions. For analyzing statistical data, a repeated measure is used. Results indicated that there is a meaningful difference between the social and communication skills in both control and experimental group in post-test and follow up stages. It could be concluded that Executive Functions Training is effective on Decrease Clinical Symptoms of Children who have Autism spectrum disorders and can be used as an effective intervention to eliminate or decrease clinical symptoms.
Keywords
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