Journal of Applied Psychological Research
Creating a Development-Oriented Social, Movement and Language Skills Program: Investigating its Effectiveness on Improving the Developmental Indicators of Children with Global Developmental Delay
Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 : Ph.D. in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
4 Department of Methods and Educational Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the development-oriented social, movement, and language skills program in enhancing the developmental indicators of children with Global Developmental Delay (GDD). The research design is a mixed-methods approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative component was derived from a systematic review of psychological interventions for children with developmental delays. Subsequently, a developmental skills improvement program was devised using the Delphi method. In the quantitative section, a quasi-experimental strategy was implemented, utilizing a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The studied community included children aged 3-5 years with Developmental Delay in Tehran in 2022-2023, from among them. Of these, 22 (10 girls and 12 boys) were identified as available and assigned to two groups of 11 individuals for testing and control. The experimental group’s children were instructed in a series of development-oriented activities through twelve mother-child workshops, while the control group received no training. The clinical interview and the Ages & Stages questionnaire (ASQ-3) were employed as the instruments. The data was analyzed using SPSS-26 and univariate analysis of variance. The findings indicated that the developmental game program resulted in enhancements in developmental indicators. An effective method for enhancing the developmental skills and capabilities of children with developmental delays is to implement timely interventions in the form of activities and prioritize the family’s involvement in the improvement of the conditions.
Keywords
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Volume 16, Issue 3
October 2025Pages 127-144
- Receive Date: 23 January 2024
- Revise Date: 12 February 2024
- Accept Date: 02 April 2024
- First Publish Date: 16 July 2025
- Publish Date: 23 September 2025