The Effectiveness of Teacher-Led Cognitive Rehabilitation-Based Play Therapy on Anxiety Sensitivity and Cognitive Processing as Predictors of Future Academic-Vocational Readiness in Students with Reading Difficulties

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master of Science in General Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Si.C. Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Si.C. Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran.

10.22111/ijop.2026.55540.1086

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of teacher-led cognitive rehabilitation-based play therapy on anxiety sensitivity and cognitive processing in students with reading difficulties. The research utilized a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, including a control group. The statistical population comprised all students with reading disorders in the second elementary cycle in Sirjan during the 2024–2025 academic year. A sample of 30 students (15 per group) was selected through convenience sampling based on the diagnosis of reading disorder; participants were age-matched and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R; Taylor & Cox, 1998) and the Cognitive Processing Scale (CPS; Cruise et al., 1999) during the assessment phases. The intervention, based on cognitive rehabilitation play therapy, was conducted individually in 16 sessions of 60 minutes each. Data were analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) via SPSS-22. The results indicated that teacher-led cognitive rehabilitation-based play therapy had a significant reductive effect on anxiety sensitivity (p<.001). Furthermore, the intervention had a significant enhancing effect on cognitive processing (p<.001). The findings highlight the vital mediating role of teachers in implementing cognitive-based games to improve mental processing infrastructures and reduce anxiety sensitivity in students with reading difficulties. Consequently, integrating this interventional protocol into primary schools and teacher empowerment programs is recommended as a modern strategy to simultaneously promote the mental health and academic performance of these students.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Organizational psychology
Volume 3, Issue 3
September 2026
Pages 1-10

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