Remediation of response inhibition deficits in intellectual disability through cognitive training: A single case study

Pages: 1407-1413
Abdul Majeed Bhat, Vikas Sharma and S. P. K. Jena (Department of Applied Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi)

Intellectual disability is a developmental disorder with significant limitations in general intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Executive functions are adaptive, goal-directed behaviours that overthrow more automatic or established thoughts and responses (Lezak, 1995). Response inhibition is referred as the foundational component of executive functioning. Response inhibition is the ability to suppress irrelevant or interfering information or impulses. Research evidence indicates that children with intellectual disability have significant deficits in response inhibition. Recently attempts have been made to remediate deficits in response inhibition through cognitive training in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities and other clinical populations. But least attention has been paid in children with intellectual disabilities. Sinu (name changed) 13year old girl was diagnosed with mild intellectual disability. On assessment of executive functions she exhibited significant deficits in sustained attention, visuo-spatial working memory, verbal response inhibition and spatial planning. In this study attempt has been made to remediate response inhibition deficits by using cognitive training. Fifteen sessions of cognitive training were given to Sinu after the gape of two days. The cognitive training activities comprised of verbal inhibition and motor inhibition task (Henry, Messer, & Nash, 2012), cued go/no-go task (Fillmore, Rush, & Hays, 2006), stop-signal task (Verbruggen, Logan, & Stevens, 2008). Sinu’s responses to cognitive training and improvements in response inhibition are discussed here in this paper.