Objective: Hearing impairment is one of the sensory problems in children that affects various aspects of their lives and impacts their social skills (SS) and emotion regulation (ER).Research indicated that active play has a crucial role in children’s social and emotional development. In this regard, the present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of group active plays (GAP) on the SS and ER of children with hearing impairment.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study involved a pre-test/post-test design with a two-month follow-up. The participants included 7 to 12-year-old boys with hearing impairment enrolled in the deaf-hearing impaired schools (2022-2023). Thirty children were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group participated in 12 interventional sessions, while the control group had the regular school program. Both groups completed SS and ER questionnaires (including before and after the intervention, and two months after the intervention [follow-up]). The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with SPSS software, version 25.
Results: The results of this study indicated a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in SS (P<0.002). GAP also had a significant effect on ER (P<0.001). Moreover, it had a significant effect on liability/negativity which was one of the components of ER (P<0.022).
Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the implemented intervention (GAP) helped to improve SS, ER, and its component (liability/negativity) in children with hearing impairment. Coaches, teachers, and therapists can take steps to enhance SS and ER in children with hearing impairment by implementing GAP.