Effectiveness of Interoceptive Programs to Improve Academic Self-Regulation and Reduce Behavioral Problems Among Children With Learning Disabilities

Background Learning disabilities occur in very young children, yet they are usually not noticed until the child reaches school age. These issues can affect the child's ability to perform activities of daily living and their ability to learn including academic activities. Occupational therapy can assist with improving their ability to learn which will also help their performance at school. Aims and objectives The present study was designed to investigate the impact of interoceptive programs on improving academic self-regulation and reducing behavioral problems among children with learning disabilities. The objectives of the study were to determine a learning disability through the use of the Learning Disability Checklist. The Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Learning Disability (SRQ-A LD) was used to assess the degree of academic self-regulation, while the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Functioning-2 (BRIEF-2) was used to assess the degree of behavioral problems. The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of interoceptive programs to enhance academic self-regulation and lessen behavioral issues in the experimental group, as well as to find out the impact of conventional occupational therapy for children with learning disabilities in the control group. Methodology This was a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling and selected samples (n=50), which were then split into two groups, an experimental group (n=25) and a control group (n=25), based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The experimental group received intervention based on interoception activities, while the control group received conventional occupational therapy. A pre-test and post-test were conducted to measure the changes. The study assessed 50 children in the range of 7 to 11 years, using an initial Madras Dyslexia Association Checklist. Academic self-regulation was assessed using SRQ-A LD. Behaviors were assessed using BRIEF-2. The duration of the study was six months, three sessions per week, lasting 45 minutes to an hour each. The statistical analysis was done with significance at a 1% alpha level using IBM SPSS version 29.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). Results The pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney test. The study found that the interoceptive program had an impact on academic self-regulation and behavioral problems among children with learning disabilities. The p-value of academic self-regulation was <0.001, and the p-value of the behavior rating inventory was <0.001, the alternate hypothesis was accepted. Thus, the results showed significant improvement in academic self-regulation and behavioral problems in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion The results of the study showed that the Interoceptive program helped children with learning disabilities improve their academic self-regulation and have fewer behavioral issues. Interoception can positively regulate their behavior. For this reason, the primary therapeutic approach for children with learning disabilities can be the implementation of Interoceptive activities.