TERAPI BERMAIN : COOPERATIVE PLAY DENGAN PUZZLE MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN SOSIALISASI ANAK RETARDASI MENTAL

Abstract

Introduction: Children with mental retardation have IQ score less than 70. This have caused them to have limitations in cognitive skills, verbal skills, motoric skills, and socialization skills. One of the ways to improve their socialization skills was play theraphy: cooperative play with puzzle. Method: Design used in this study was quasy experimental design. The population were the first to the fourth grade of the elementary students of SLB Al – Hidayah, Mejayan. The samples were gathered by using purposive sampling method consisted of 12 respondents based on the inclusion criteria which were divided into control and experimental groups. The independent variable was play theraphy: cooperative play with puzzle and the dependent variable was socialization skills of children with mental retardation. The data observation was collected and analyzed by using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney U Test with significance of α = 0.05. Result: Results showed that there was a difference of socialization skills before and after the intervention on the experimental group (p = 0.027). However, there was no significant difference on socialization skills before and after the intervention in children with mental retardation on the control group (p = 0.102), which can be meant that play therapy using cooperative play with puzzle can improve the socilazation skills in children with mental retardation (p = 0.036). Discussion: It can be concluded that play theraphy: cooperative play with puzzle can improve socialization skills in children with mental retardation. For further research can be given play theraphy: cooperative play with puzzle in regularly and continuosly way in smaller groups