The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Anxiety and Academic Achievement among Children with LD

The slow progression of academic achievement is one of the symptoms of children with learning disabilities (LD), which can be regarded as an obstacle to achieve educational goals along with anxiety. Play therapy is a way of changing the behavior of the child that is based on the interaction between parents and the child. This aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on reducing the anxiety and academic achievement of children with LD. Methods: In a double blind randomized clinical trial, 30 students with learning disabilities were randomly selected through targeted method and were assigned into two experiment and control groups through completely randomized blocks method. Play therapy was presented based on Landreth's protocol to the experimental and the control group received merely the training of motivational skills. Subjects were evaluated in two time intervals of pre-test and post-test by the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale and three mathematical, dictation, and Persian courses. Data were analyzed by covariance analysis through SPSS software. Results: Primary outcomes indicated that play therapy was effective in reducing the anxiety index. Also, secondary outcomes indicated intervention based on play therapy was associated with increased academic performance (p<0.000). Conclusion: These results can be of importance in influencing psychological interventions as an independent or complementary approach along with other therapies in children with special needs.