The Effect of Self-Regulation Skills Training on Social Skills and Executive Functions of Preschool Students with Mild Mental Disability

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of teaching self-regulation skills on executive functions and social skills of preschool students with mild mental disability. The study used a single-subject experimental and a single baseline design with a two-week post-test follow-up. The target population included all preschool children – 8-10 years of age – with mild mental disability (with IQ between 50 and 70) in Shahrood, Iran, in 2017-18. The sample included four students selected through convenience sampling. Gresham and Elliott's (1999) Social Skills Questionnaire and Coolidge's (2001) Neuropsychological Inventory were completed by the instructors. To train the students, the self-regulation package was employed over eight 45-minute sessions in one month using games, storytelling, and role-plays. To assess the results, visual analysis of the diagrams, the percentage of all non-overlapping data (PAND), and effect size were employed. Therefore, it can be concluded that teaching self-regulation skills is effective in increasing social skills and executive functions students with mild mental disability by improving the ability to plan, self- monitoring and organization in students with mild mental disability.

Keywords

• self-regulation
• social skills
• executive functions
• children with mild mental disability
• preschool