The Effectiveness of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Young Dyslexic Adults

Rehabilitation Foundation, Finland

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dyslexia

Treatments: Behavioral: Group based neuropsychological rehabilitation; Behavioral: Individual neuropsychological rehabilitation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01930500

Luki-40211

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether individual and/ group based neuropsychological rehabilitation focused on psychoeducation and teaching compensatory strategies has positive effects on the psychosocial wellbeing and perceived cognitive deficits in dyslexic young adults. The hypothesis is that both individual and group based neuropsychological rehabilitation show positive effects on the psychosocial wellbeing and perceived cognitive deficits. Another purpose of this study is to evaluate weather individual and group based neuropsychological rehabilitation have different kind of effects on the wellbeing of the participants and weather either one of the rehabilitation formats is more effective than the other.

Full description

Background: Untreated dyslexia causes problems for individuals in studies, work and employment. High quality research on the best and most cost-effective rehabilitation methods is needed.

Objective: To study whether neuropsychological rehabilitation improves the psychosocial wellbeing and perceived cognitive deficits in dyslexic young adults and to evaluate potential differences between individual and group based neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Methods: Altogether 120 young adults diagnosed with dyslexia are randomized either to one of the intervention groups (individual neuropsychological rehabilitation / group neuropsychological rehabilitation) or to a control group which will receive either one of the interventions after a 5 month waiting period. All the study subjects are assessed with a short neuropsychological test battery as well as self-rating questionnaires evaluating mood, QoL, perceived cognitive deficits, and the impact of the learning disability at baseline, after five months (immediately after interventions or control period) and after 10 months. After 20 months a shorter follow-up using only self-ratings will be done via mail. Subjects in the intervention groups are offered neuropsychological rehabilitation in 12 sessions conducted once a week or once in two weeks during five months. Subjects in the control group do not receive any intervention for the first five months.

Results: The effects of interventions on psychosocial wellbeing and perceived cognitive deficits are evaluated using appropriate statistical procedures and comparing the differences between the interventions groups and the control group.

The present status: All the interventions are completed, follow-up data is still beeing collected

Enrollment: 120 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• clinical diagnosis of dyslexia
• age 18-35
• problems in studies, work or employment relating to dyslexia
• subjective and objective need for rehabilitation
• the native language is Finnish

Exclusion criteria

• other neurological condition than dyslexia
• other learning disabilities than dyslexia
• overall weak cognitive capacity
• psychiatric diagnosis
• severe depression
• alcohol or drug abuse
• neuropsychological rehabilitation received at the age of 16 or later

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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120 participants in 3 patient groups

Individual neuropsychological rehabilitation

Experimental group

Description:

12 times 90 minutes, once per week or once per two weeks, during 5 months

Treatment:

Behavioral: Individual neuropsychological rehabilitation

Group based neuropsychological rehabilitation

Experimental group

Description:

12 times 120 minutes + a brake, once per week or once per two weeks, during 5 months

Treatment:

Behavioral: Group based neuropsychological rehabilitation

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Control group does not receive neuropsychological rehabilitation or any other intervention during the first 5 months. After the control period they will be randomized to receive either individual or group based rehabilitation.