Peningkatan Interaksi Sosial Melalui Puppet Show Theater Pada Anak Autism Spectrum Disorders di Kota Batam

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a very complex and varied developmental function of brain function that causes the brain not being able to function properly. This can lead to several number of disturbances such as the difficulty of building social and behavioral relationship, inhibition of development and language, disruption of sensory processes and perception, especially the obstruction of communication. There are around 50 ASD children registered as therapy students at the Batam City Autism Service Center, where some children experience social interaction problem. One of therapies that can improve children's social interaction skills is playing Puppet Show Theater therapy. Thus, this study aims to determine the effect of Puppet Show Theater on improving social interaction of children with ASD. The design of this study is comparative research with Total Sampling as method of getting the samples.The samples in this study consisted of 50 ASD children and the data were analyzed using the Paired Sample T test. The results are known than more than half, the age of children with ASD are in the age range 7-11 years as many as 32 children (64%). Most ASD children were not able to interact well before being given Puppet Show Theater therapy (88 %) and the results of the analysis showed that most ASD children after getting the therapy of playing Puppet Show Theater were able to interact well (82 %). The conclusion of the data analysis is that the p-value is 0,000 (p = <0.05), indicating that there is a Puppet Show Theater effect on improving children's social interaction with ASD. It is expected that playing the Puppet Show Theater therapy method can be done at least 3 times a week to improve the child's social interaction with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) merupakan gangguan perkembangan fungsi otak yang sangat kompleks sekaligus bervariasi, yang mengakibatkan otak tidak mampu berfungsi sebagaimana mestinya. Hal tersebut dapat menimbulkan beberapa gangguan seperti sulitnya membangun hubungan sosial dan perilaku, terhambatnya perkembangan dan bahasa, gangguan pada proses sensori dan persepsi, khususnya terhambatnya interaksi sosial. Terdapat sekitar 50  anak ASD yang terdaftar sebagai siswa terapi di Pusat Layanan Autis Kota Batam, dimana sebagian anak mengalami gangguan interaksi sosial. Adapun terapi yang dapat meningkatkan interaksi sosial anak yaitu terapi bermain Puppet Show Theater. Dengan demikian, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Puppet Show Theater terhadap peningkatan interaksi sosial anak dengan ASD.. Rancangan penelitian ini adalah penelitian komparatif dengan metode pengambilan sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah Total Sampling. Sampel dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari 50 orang anak ASD dan data dianalisa menggunakan uji Paired Sample T-test. Hasil penelitian diketahui sebagian besar anak ASD tidak mampu berinteraksi sosial dengan baik sebelum diberikan terapi bermain Puppet Show Theater (88%) dan diketahui hasil analisa menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar anak ASD setelah dilakukan terapi bermain Puppet Show Theater, mampu berinteraksi sosial dengan baik (82%). Kesimpulan dari analisa data diketahui p-value bernilai 0,000 (p=<0.05), menunjukan ada pengaruh Puppet Show Theater terhadap peningkatan interaksi sosial anak dengan ASD. Diharapkan terapi bermain dengan metode Puppet Show Theater dapat dilakukan minimal 3 kali seminggu guna meningkatkan keterampilan komuniaksi anak dengan Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).