Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dual-task balance training (DTBT) in improving the mental performance of children with intellectual disabilities.
Materials and Methods
Forty-five children (aged 6–13 years) with mild mental retardation (intelligence quotient: 50–79) were randomised to receive cognitive training and DTBT (group A), standard balance and cognitive training (group B), or only cognitive training (control group). The intervention was provided twice a week for 12 weeks (totally 24 sessions). The WISC-R intelligence and MOXO attention tests were used for outcome analysis. All outcome assessments were made before, after, and three months after the study.
Results
There were significant improvements after using DTBT compared to the other two sets of interventions, at least in selected aspects of intelligence and mental performance.
Conclusions
A precisely planned, progressive DTBT program can be effective in developing and sustaining improvements in mental abilities among children with intellectual disabilities. This study is recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04114487)
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the families that accepted to participate in our study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.