Developing social and cognitive skills among Arab parents of preschool children with behavioral disorders

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cognitive-behavioral interventions to improve social and cognitive skills of children with behavioral disorders and their parents may extend beyond Western culture and provide effective intervention methods for parents in Arab society. The benefits of this intervention method on Arab parents of preschool children with behavioral disorders must be investigated. The current study examined the efficacy of acquiring social and cognitive skills in a tailored intervention designed for Arab parents of preschool children with behavioral disorders. The sample included 48 Arab parents, each with a child aged 4-5 with behavioral disorders, attending pre-schools in Israel. Parents completed the Bloomquist questionnaire and self-reported their own and their child’s behaviors across several domains. Parents were then randomized to either the experimental treatment group or a control group, consisting of the cognitive-behavioral intervention and an art therapy intervention, respectively. The cognitive-behavioral intervention focused on fostering social and cognitive skills within the parentchild dyad. This intervention demonstrated improvements in several behavioral domains. This suggests the unique efficacy of the cognitive-behavioral intervention, which is consistent with prior studies. The current study represents the first systematic examination of an intervention for parents of preschool children with behavioral disorders within Arab society.