Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy on Visual Attention and Mathematical Concept...

Learning disabilities (LD) affect a substantial proportion of students worldwide, including in Iran. LD is regarded as persistent difficulties in reading, writing, and mathematics. The present study investigated the efficacy of cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT) in enhancing visual attention and mathematical concept acquisition among students with learning disabilities (LDs) in Dezful, Iran.

This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up assessments, and a control group. The target population encompassed all male and female second- and third-grade primary school students diagnosed with LD who were enrolled in educational and rehabilitative services at Dezful Developmental and Educational Assessment Center, Dezful, Iran. A convenience sample of 30 students (15 per group) was selected based on DSM-5 criteria. The experimental group underwent 10 ninety-minute sessions of CBPT, delivered twice weekly. Data were collected using the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) to measure omission and commission errors of visual attention and Key Math Diagnostic Assessment (scored from 0 to 100). Repeated Measures ANOVA with standard assumptions, including sphericity checks, was employed for data analysis using SPSS version 26.

According to our results, CBPT significantly improved visual attention and mathematical concept acquisition in the experimental group as compared with the control group in the post-test phase (P<0.001, partial η²=0.62 for visual attention, 0.78 for mathematical concepts). For visual attention, mean omission errors in the experimental group decreased from 4.69 (SD=0.94) to 2.63 (SD=1.14), and commission errors from 5.63 (SD=1.20) to 3.06 (SD=0.99), while the control group showed minimal change (omission errors: 4.94 [SD=0.89] to 4.24 [SD=1.42]; commission errors: 5.41 [SD=1.06] to 6.06 [SD=1.02]). For mathematical concept acquisition, the mean score in the experimental group increased from 42.81 (SD=5.02) to 70.81 (SD=3.92), while the mean score in the control group remained stable (45.24 (SD=3.83) to 45.12 (SD=4.56)). These effects persisted at follow-up (visual attention: partial η²=0.58; mathematical concepts: partial η²=0.74), with minimal decline in scores.

The findings demonstrated that CBPT produced significant and sustained improvements in visual attention (reduced omission and commission errors) and mathematical concept acquisition among students with LDs compared with the control group.