Executive Function Training As An Adjunct To Multimodal Teaching In School Going Children With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Background of the study: Learning disabilities are a group of neurological or brain-based problems that affect one or more ways that a person takes in, stores or uses information. It is a term that refers to a group of disorders in listening, speaking, reading, writing and mathematics. According to a study published in 2018, one percent to nineteen percent of school going children in India have LD. Thus, often neglected, learning disabilities require considerable concern in India. Where multimodal teaching strategies are commonly practice in special education schools, role of executive function training as an adjunct to conventional therapy is yet to be established. Evidence of relationship between the learning disabilities and executive functions is however already available in literature.

Aims and Objectives: This study aims at finding the role of executive function training as an adjunct to multimodal teaching on the performance of school going children with learning disability.

Methods-A total of 30 students aged between 4-9 years selected as per the criteria, participated in the training program. Executive function therapy along with multimodal teaching was given to experimental group for three weeks, alternate day. Control group was however given multimodal teaching only. Children academic performance was further re-evaluated to find any significant change.

Conclusion-Executive function training as an adjunct to multimodal teaching was an effective intervention for school-going children with difficulty in reading, and writing disorder.