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Cognitive modifiability of children with developmental disabilities: a multicentre study using Feuerstein's
A Kozulin1, J Lebeer, A Madella-Noja
1Tel Aviv University, School of Health Professionals, Department of Occupational Therapy, Israel.
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|January 9, 2010
Summary
The Instrumental Enrichment Basic program significantly improved cognitive functions in children with developmental disabilities. This cognitive intervention showed benefits across various learning disorders when delivered in a supportive educational setting.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Cognitive functioning in children with developmental disabilities can be modified.
- Feuerstein's theory of structural cognitive modifiability posits that mediated learning can enhance cognitive abilities.
- The Instrumental Enrichment Basic (IE-basic) program aims to improve domain-general cognitive skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the effectiveness of the IE-basic program for children with developmental disabilities.
- To assess if the program enhances cognitive functioning and its transfer to daily life.
- To compare IE-basic intervention with general occupational and sensory-motor therapy.
Main Methods:
- Participants: Children aged 5-7 with DCD, CP, intellectual impairment, ASD, ADHD, or learning disorders.
- Intervention: Experimental groups (N=104) received 27-90h of IE-basic; comparison groups (N=72) received standard therapy.
- Assessment: Pre- to post-test gain scores on WISC-R subtests and Raven Coloured Matrices.
Main Results:
- Experimental groups showed significant cognitive gains (p<0.05) in 'Similarities', 'Picture Completion', 'Picture Arrangement', and Raven Coloured Matrices.
- Effect sizes for cognitive gains ranged from 0.3 to 0.52.
- No specific advantage was observed for children with a particular etiology; however, greater gains were seen in educational contexts with committed teachers.
Conclusions:
- The IE-basic program is effective in improving cognitive functioning in children with developmental disabilities.
- Cognitive improvements were observed across a range of learning disorders.
- The educational context and teacher commitment to mediated learning principles significantly influenced the program's effectiveness.
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