Motor Development and Learning
Hanieh Ghasemian Moghadam; Hasan Mohamadzadeh
Abstract
Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a course of Taekwondo goal-oriented physical exercises on the cognitive functions of children with learning disorders.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, which was conducted with a pre-test-post-test control group design, 20 ...
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Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a course of Taekwondo goal-oriented physical exercises on the cognitive functions of children with learning disorders.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, which was conducted with a pre-test-post-test control group design, 20 boys with learning disorders were selected from the centers for learning disabilities by referring to special education in Mashhad. In the pre-test stage, the participants' working memory and inhibition were measured by N-back and Stroop tests, respectively. After that, the exercise group participated in the selected Taekwondo exercise program for three 50-minute sessions per week for four weeks. In each session, a set of My Brain cognitive games was used before the implementation of the exercise protocol. In the first 10 minutes of the session, cognitive games were played, then 10 minutes of warming up, 30 minutes of teaching and practicing Taekwondo techniques, and finally 10 minutes of cooling down were conducted. During this period, the control group did their usual activities. Finally, the dependent variables were measured again in the post-test phase. Repeated measures analysis of variance test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Taekwondo goal-oriented physical exercises improved cognitive functions in the Exercise group; All these changes were significant compared to the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Taekwondo goal-oriented physical exercises can be effective as an intervention to improve the cognitive functions of this group of children.
Hanieh Ghasemian Moghadam; Mahdi Sohrabi; Hamidreza Taheri
Abstract
Balance is one of the basic important principles of learning in children, and its disorder can negatively affect learning.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of selected motor games on balance in children with specific learning disorder. This study was semi-experimental and application ...
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Balance is one of the basic important principles of learning in children, and its disorder can negatively affect learning.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of selected motor games on balance in children with specific learning disorder. This study was semi-experimental and application in terms of aims with pretest-posttest and a control group. 24 boys (7-9 years old) with specific learning disorder in Mashhad city were selected and assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed selected motor games for 20 sessions, 30 minutes each sessions, 5 sessions per week. During this period, the control group performed its routine activities. Changes in the static balance of the subjects were measured by the Stork balance test and Sharpened Romberg test and dynamic balance of the subjects were measured by the heel-to-toe walk test and timed up-and-go test before and after the intervention. For statistical analysis, analysis of variance with repeated measures was used. Findings showed that selected motor games improved the static and dynamic balance of the experimental group. All these changes were significant in comparison with the control group (P<0.05). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that selected motor games help to improve static and dynamic balance in children with specific learning disorder.
