Investigating the Effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Package on the Cognitive Flexibility and Social Interaction of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Executive Functions

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the rehabilitation package based on executive functions on cognitive flexibility and social interaction of students with autism spectrum disorder. This research was semi-experimental, involving a pre-test, post-test and control group, and follow-up period. The statistical population comprised all male pupils diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the academic year 2022-2023 in Tehran. Available sampling method was employed to select 20 male students from a special school for autism spectrum disorder, based on the criteria for admission and the existence of the study. These students were inadvertently divided into two groups: the control and experimental. The individual underwent 20 sessions of cognitive rehabilitation intervention that focused on executive functions,each lasting 20 minutes. The experimental group and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data was collected before, after, and two months after the cognitive rehabilitation program was implemented using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) (Social Interaction Subscale). T​he SPSS software version 24 was employed to conduct data analysis using the repeated measurement method. The results revealed that the cognitive rehabilitation package, which is founded on executive functions, has had an impact on the social interaction and cognitive flexibility of students with autism spectrum disorder (P<0/001). The cognitive rehabilitation program mentioned above was found to have enhanced cognitive flexibility and increased social interaction among students with autism spectrum disorder. It is suggested that this program be used to enhance and enhance executive functions and mitigate behavioral symptoms in academic environments for children with autism spectrum disorder.