The Effectiveness of a Neuroscience Based Counseling Program in Improving Emotion Regulation among children with Learning Difficulties

Abstract

      This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a counseling program based on neuroscience principles in improving emotion regulation among primary school pupils with learning difficulties, who exhibit academic underachievement despite average intelligence. Thirty pupils were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The Emotion Regulation Scale for Children (developed by the researcher) was applied after verifying its psychometric properties (content validity 91%, Cronbach’s alpha 0.89), along with the neuroscience‑based counseling program (10 sessions) validated by a panel of experts (93% agreement). Post‑intervention results showed statistically significant differences favoring the experimental group, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.09). Follow‑up measurement after four weeks indicated sustained improvement (d = 0.71). The study recommends integrating neuroscience principles into educational counseling programs and conducting longitudinal studies using objective neurophysiological measures.