Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) plays an important role in assessing children with learning difficulties or related behavioral issues. Understanding EEG alterations in students with learning difficulties is crucial for evaluating cognitive functioning. The first aim was to examine the effects of the Program for Enhancing Academic and Behavioral Learning Skills (PEABLS), a cognitive-behavioral intervention on absolute and relative EEG band powers under eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions. Another aim was to examine the relationship between relative band powers of EEG waveforms through specific cognitive measurements like IQ, working memory and BGT for perceptual motor skills and organization. This study had a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test research design and involved a group of 50 students with learning problems. PEABLS, an accessible school-based intervention, was offered to academically low-performing students. EEG recordings were conducted before and after the intervention on prefrontal (FP1 FP2), temporal (T3 T4) and occipital (O1 O2) scalp locations. The data acquired were processed using MATLAB to find the absolute and relative band powers of waveforms. Paired t tests on the recorded EEG data suggested that significant improvements in absolute and relative power values of waveforms were achieved, post-intervention. There were significant increases in relative alpha power values in the prefrontal and temporal regions under both eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions and significant increases in relative theta and delta power in the prefrontal and temporal regions. Pearson's correlation suggested that there was a significant relationship between relative alpha and beta power values in the prefrontal and occipital regions, through the cognitive measurements. PEABLS was significative in bringing changes to EEG band powers.
Highlights
Students with learning difficulty are identified as having difficulties in learning one or more academic skills
Given that significant heterogeneity exists among subjects with learning problems 40 and considering the significant findings from previous research studies, we considered it necessary to explore EEG characterizations of children with difficulty in learning under both eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions after the intervention had been presented
Normal Q-Q plots and box plots showed that the ages and grades of the participants were approximately normally distributed, with skewness of -0.210 (SE = 0.337) and kurtosis of -1.165 (SE = 0.662) for the age variable and skewness of 0.151 (SE = 0.337) and kurtosis of – 1.106 (SE = 0.662) for the grade variable
Summary
Students with learning difficulty are identified as having difficulties in learning one or more academic skills. Low socioeconomic status and unfavorable circumstances negatively impact their cognitive and academic performance, which leads to repeated failures and causes a higher risk of developing learning difficulty These students may score moderate to above average on IQ tests, they underperform scholastically due to a conflux of pedagogical reasons. This may include family psychopathology, sociocultural environment with adverse conditions, lack of opportunity to learn cognitive skills, sensory deprivation, emotional causes such as demotivation and migration (leading to sociolinguistic interaction deprivation), poor quality of education and impoverished socioeconomic and cultural conditions. Objective: The first aim was to examine the effects of the Program for Enhancing Academic and Behavioral Learning Skills (PEABLS), a cognitive-behavioral intervention on absolute and relative EEG band powers under eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions. Conclusion: PEABLS was significative in bringing changes to EEG band powers
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