The Effectiveness of Group Play Therapy on Social Skills of Female Students With Intellectual Disability

Purpose: The present research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of group play therapy on social skills of female students with intellectual disability. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design and the control group. The study population included all female students with intellectual disability in Shiraz, Iran enrolled in academic year 2013-2014. Out of them, a sample of 30 students were selected through convenience sampling method and were randomly placed in the experiment and the control groups (each group 15 students). Pretest was taken from both groups and the experiment group received training for group play therapy in 10 sessions, while this training was not provided to the control group. At the end, a posttest was taken from both groups. For measuring social skills, the social skills scale (social skills rating system) was used. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of covariance by SPSS 21. Results: According to the findings, the mean score for social skills and their subscales significantly increased in the experiment group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The findings indicated the effectiveness of group play therapy on social skills of female students with intellectual disability. Therefore, we recommend that by designing and implementing group play therapy, social skills be improved in these students.