APPLICATION OF MOTOR SENSORY APPROACH TO IMPROVE ARTICULATION SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

Several studies have shown that speech sound disorders in children with intellectual disabilities impact communication with their environment. They have more difficulty with expressive language and speech intelligibility than receptive. Interventions are needed to improve speech skills, especially in articulation skills. Purpose: This study aims to determine the effect of sensory motor methods in improving articulation skills. Method: using a single subject experiment, using a one group pretest-posttest design. The participant is a girl aged 7:6 years old with articulation disorder on consonants /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /w/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /ŋ/, /j/, /c/, /f/, /w/, /v/, /h/, /r/, /y/, /z/, /fr/, /br/, /dw/, /gr/, /kl/, /pr/, /sk/, /sp/, /st/, /sw/. Data collection was done through interviews with the client's parents, direct observation of the client, and tests. Speech therapy was conducted for 10 sessions with an emphasis on sensory-motor integration. Perceptual assessment was carried out by comparing the ability to produce the phoneme /p/ in the initial position of the word with a combination of vowels /a/ before and after therapy. Results: in the post speech therapy assessment, there was an increase of 40%. Conclusion: from the therapy activities for 10 session with the Sensory Motor Approach, the client was quite successful in producing /p/ in the initial position of the word with a combination of vowels /a/. Suggestion: this study suggests designing a therapy cycle in order to find out the effectiveness of the Sensory Motor Approach more deeply.