The Effect of Cognitive Flexibility Training on Reduction of Cognitive Problems in Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Background: Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities are the most challenging groups of individuals among exceptional people. In this regard, the main responsibility lies with the parents, tutors, psychologists, and nurses. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of cognitive flexibility training on reducing cognitive problems in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Methods: The present quasi-experimental study used a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The participants included 40 female students aged 13-18 years who attended special schools in the city of Shiraz, Iran. Data were collected using the Wisconsin Card Scoring Test (WCST) and the Test for Severe Impairment (TSI). The data were analyzed through SPSS software (version 18.0), using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics of covariance analysis. Results: After moderating the pretest scores, cognitive flexibility training showed to have a significant effect (P<0.05) on reduction of cognitive impairment. The effect of cognitive flexibility training on reducing cognitive impairment was 70.2%. Moreover, the training used also had a significant effect (P<0.05) on reduction of motor impairment, language comprehension impairment, language processing, memory impairment, and general knowledge by 33.7%, 10.4%, 14.8%, 28.6%, and 11%, respectively. The results showed that the cognitive flexibility training did not have a significant effect (P>0.05) on reduction of impairment in abstract conceptualization. Conclusion: It was revealed that 13-18-year-old adolescents with intellectual disabilities who attended a total of 15 training sessions had fewer cognitive problems such as motor function, language comprehension, language processing, memory, and general knowledge.