Effect of Brain Plasticity-Based Activities on Attention among Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Schools

Abstract

Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) frequently experience attention difficulties that compound the academic challenges associated with reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning. Contemporary neuroscience has established that the brain retains the capacity to reorganise its structure and function in response to experience, a property known as neuroplasticity, which provides a theoretical basis for activity-based cognitive interventions. The present study examined the effect of an eight-week Brain Plasticity-Based Activity Program on attention among students with SLD studying in inclusive schools. A single-group pretest-posttest experimental design was employed with 20 students with SLD aged 12-14 years, drawn from inclusive schools in the Delhi NCR region through purposive sampling. Attention was measured using a researcher-developed 20-item Observation Schedule for Attention covering four domains: staying on task, avoiding distractions, controlling impulses, and maintaining focus. The intervention comprised cognitive games, memory exercises, attention tasks, and coordination activities delivered three times weekly for eight weeks. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, and a paired-sample t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. Mean attention scores increased significantly from pretest (M = 20.60, SD = 2.35) to posttest (M = 30.15, SD = 2.10), with a mean difference of 9.55 (t = 19.82, p < .001). Brain plasticity-based activities produced a statistically significant improvement in attention among students with SLD, supporting their integration into inclusive classroom routines as a low-cost, accessible intervention.