the effectiveness of neurofeedback on working memory and processing speed among girl students with learning disabilities

Background: learning disorders (lds) are diagnosed in children impaired in the academic skills of reading, writing, and/or mathematics. children with lds usually exhibit a slower resting-state electroencephalogram (eeg), corresponding to a neurodevelopmental lag. the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of neurofeedback treatment on working memory and processing speed among girl students with learning disabilities. methods: the design used in the current study was a quasi-experimental design, including pretest, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. using the convenience sampling method, 40 girl students with lds were selected from among all students referred to the psychological clinics in tehran city, iran, in the 2020-2021 academic year. therefore, samples were assigned to two control and experimental groups (n=17). samples were assessed for structured clinical interviews for dsm-iv (scid), n-back task, and stroop and reverse-stroop tests. the experimental group received 20 sessions of neurofeedback and standard psychological intervention treatment, while the control group received only standard interventions. mixed repeated analysis of variance, independent t tests, and chi-square were used for data analysis.results: the findings showed that neurofeedback treatment improved all the components of working memory (correct answer and correct response time) and processing speed in girl students with lds during a two-month follow-up (p<0.0001).conclusion: it is recommended that the principles and concepts of neurofeedback treatment, confirmed in the current study, be considered an educational mission and executive task for school counselors for girls with learning disabilities.