Self-Care Skills of Children with Moderate Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Background: Intellectual disability is one of the developmental disorders that showing a delay in self-care skills that need to decrease the physical dependence of children to adults. Children with moderate intellectual disability could show diffe­rences in developmental and level of self-care skills that affected of few factors. The aim of the study is to explore the self-care skills of children with moderate intellectual disability on feeding, dres­sing, toileting, and self-hygiene, and factors that affect these skills. Subjects and Method: This was a qua­lita­tive stu­dy with case study ap­proach. A total of five sub­jects with moderate intellectual disability aged 7-12 years was selected for this study. The data were collected from eleven parents and teachers by interview. All data were analyzed by content analysis. Results: All five subjects have different levels of each of the self-care skills and get help from teachers or parents in some of these activities. The amount of help is influenced by internal fac­tors such as physical and motor problems as indi­ca­ted by observations of subject 2. External fac­tors that are found are parental roles, self-care practicing methods, and differences in parent attitudes. Behavioral problems factor such as aggressive, self-harm, and social withdrawal was not found. Self-care programs and the coordi­nation of parents and school as external factors were only found in subject 2 and 4. Conclusion: All five subjects showed varying abilities of the self-care skills and internal and external factors that affect these skills. Keywords: moderate intellectual disability, self-care skills, factors Correspondence: Heni Gerda Pesau. Faculty of Psychology, Uni­versitas Atma Jaya, Makassar. Jl. Tanjung Alang No.23 Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Email: henigerda0@gmail.com. Mo­bile: +62853­41­916728 Journal of Health Promotion and Behavior (2020), 5(1): 43-49 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejhpb.2020.05.01.06