Dealing With Three Autistic Children in Grades 1, 3 and 5 At Yahya Elementary School.

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ABSTRACT

Tugas Akhir ini membahas tentang permasalahan yang dihadapi oleh para guru yaitu kesulitan untuk mengajar tiga anak autis di kelas 1, 3 dan 5 di SDK Yahya. Permasalahan ini dijumpai pada saat saya menjadi asisten guru ketika magang di SDK Yahya. Untuk dapat mencari pemecahan dari

permasalahan tersebut, saya akan menganalisa penyebab dan akibat dari permasalahan tersebut serta memaparkan beberapa pilihan solusi yang ada.

Penyebab pertama adalah ketiga anak autis tersebut sering tidak dapat berinteraksi dan berkomunikasi secara baik dengan guru maupun murid lainnya. Penyebab kedua adalah para guru tidak mempunyai banyak

pengalaman untuk mengajar anak autis. Dampak dari permasalahan adalah guru-guru tidak dapat mengatur kelas dengan baik, anak autis tidak mampu untuk mengerti instruksi dari guru dan mengerjakan latihan dan guru-guru mengalami kelelahan secara fisik dan mental.

Dari kedua penyebab tersebut, saya mencoba mencari beberapa solusi yaitu: pertama adalah guru memberikan pengulangan pelajaran dengan anak autis tersebut di siang hari seminggu dua kali. Kedua adalah guru membuka kelas khusus seusai kelas untuk anak autis tersebut dimana guru

memberikan materi tentang keterampilan sosial seperti bagaimana cara yang baik memberi salam pada orang lain dan bagaimana cara mengikuti instruksi yang diberikan. Ketiga adalah guru mengundang orangtua untuk ikut

berpartisipasi dalam kelas khusus tersebut supaya dapat melihat bagaimana anak autis tersebut dalam mengikuti pelajaran yang diberikan. Keempat adalah guru sebaiknya belajar untuk mengatasi anak autis dari seorang psikolog atau belajar dari buku.

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iv _{Maranatha Christian University}

APPENDIX

A. FLOWCHART

Problem

Causes _Effects

The teacher reviews the lesson with the autistic child twice a week, after finishing the regular class.

1. The three autistic children often cannot interact and communicate with the teacher and other children. 2. The teachers do not have any

experience in teaching autistic children.

1. The teachers cannot manage the class well.

2. The autistic children are not able to understand the instructions and do the exercises.

3. The teachers become physically and emotionally exhausted. The teachers at Yahya

Elementary School found it difficult to teach three autistic children in grades 1, 3 and 5.

Potential Solution 1 Potential (-) Effects

Potential (+) Effects

The teachers will open a special afternoon class once a week for autistic children where the teachers give a lesson about social skills, such as how to greet people and how to follow instructions.

1. The children will not become independent because their parents are beside them.

2. The teachers will not feel

comfortable to teach the children.

1. The children will concentrate in that class.

2. The teacher can control the behavior of the autistic children. Potential (-) Effects

Potential (+) Effects Potential Solution 2

The teachers will invite the parents to participate in the special class.

Potential Solution 3 Potential (-) Effects

Potential (+) Effects 1. The autistic children must stay late

at school.

2. The teacher must spend extra time at school and will go home late. 3. The parents must wait longer for

their children.

1. The autistic children will understand the lesson better. 2. The teachers will be able to

monitor how the autistic children follow the lesson. 3. The parents will appreciate the

extra assistance from the teachers.

1. The autistic children will not follow the lesson because they are tired. 2. The teachers will have to stay late

at school.

3. The parents may think that the lessons are too hard for the autistic children.

1. The children can learn to concentrate and communicate in that special class.

2. Learning social skills will help the children to follow instructions and greet people with a good attitude.

Potential Solution 4

The teachers should learn about autistic children from a psychologist or some reference books.

Potential (-) Effects

1. It will be hard to handle the autistic children if the teachers cannot apply what they have learnt from the psychologist or references they have read.

2. The teachers can more tired than usual because they must get more knowledge about autistic children.

Potential (+) Effects

1. The teachers will teach the autistic children better. 2. The teachers can get more

knowledge about autistic children in their classes by consulting with a psychologist or reading some books about autistic children.

Chosen Solution 1. The teacher reviews the lesson

with the autistic child twice a week after finishing the regular class.

2. The teachers should learn about autistic children from

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Nowadays many people discuss autism. It is said that “Autism is a

disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social

interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive

behavior” (“Autism”). It seems that some parents who have autistic

children have not yet found the best solution to deal with autistic

children. Similarly, the school teachers also find it difficult to deal with

autistic children in the class because they have special characteristics.

The characteristics of autistic children are having “Impairments in

social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted

interests and repetitive behavior (“Autism”). Accordingly, we must find

a solution to deal with the autistic children in the classroom.

During my apprenticeship as a teacher assistant, there are three

autistic children, one in each grade, that is, in grades 1, 3 and 5. I and

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2 _{Maranatha Christian University} three autistic children, because it was their first experience in teaching

autistic children. The teachers in Yahya Elementary School had to deal

with three autistic children in the class and in other activities. For

example, the teachers help them to understand the lesson, to do

coloring activities and to identify the names of colors. Sometimes I also

do not understand what the children say, due to the fact that “most

people with autism have some impairment in language and many

never speak at all” (“Autism”). At Yahya Elementary School, each

autistic child has a special caregiver. The caregivers can accompany

the autistic children in every situation at school and it can therefore be

easier for the teachers to teach them.

It is important to discuss how to deal with the autistic children to get

more knowledge about their behavior because it is hard for children

with autism to talk with other people and express themselves using

words. They cannot communicate without special help due to the fact

that “they have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling

because they can’t understand social cues such as tone of voice or

facial expressions” (“Autism Fact Sheet”). The support from the

teachers will be helpful for the autistic children to help them to be able

to follow every lesson in the class.

Based on the above explanation, I would like to analyze how to deal

with the autistic children at Yahya Elementary School for my term

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B. Identification of the Problem

The analysis of the problem is formulated into two questions:

1. Why do the teachers at Yahya Elementary School have difficulty

in dealing with the autistic children in their classes?

2. How is it possible for the teachers at Yahya Elementary School

to teach and help the autistic children?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The objectives of the study are:

1. To find out the causes and the effects of the difficulties of

teaching autistic children at Yahya Elementary School.

2. To present the best solution for the teachers at Yahya

Elementary School for teaching and helping autistic children.

The benefits of the study are, first, for the institution so that

Yahya Elementary School can manage the behavior of the autistic

children and this study can be a reference for helping other autistic

children at the school in the future. Second, the readers can get

more knowledge about how to deal with autistic children who are

like the three autistic children at Yahya Elementary School. Lastly,

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4 _{Maranatha Christian University} dealing with autistic children and know how to manage their

behavior in class for a successful learning process.

D. Description of the Institution

Yahya Elementary School is located at no. 4 Progo Street,

Bandung. Yahya Elementary School was built in 1964. The name of

the headmistress is Sri Wahyuni, S.I.P. There are 18 classes in the

Elementary School, from grade 1 to grade 6. There are three classes

for each grade.

Since the 2000-2001 school year, Yahya Elementary School has

implemented a learning system of five days learning in class (Monday

to Friday), while Saturday is specially devoted for the implementation

of PKO(Pekan Kreativitas dan Organisasi), where the children can

develop their talents, interests, and creativity.

E. Method of the Study

This term paper focuses on problem solving analysis. The problem

is a real problem which I found during my apprenticeship at Yahya

Elementary School. The data is taken from my journal and observation.

In my journal, I wrote the report of my new experiences in teaching

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taken from library research, both from printed publications and Online

resources.

F. Limitation of the Study

The subjects of my research are three teachers at Yahya Elementary

School who taught the autistic children in grades 1, 3 and 5, and the

three autistic children I observed and taught during my apprenticeship.

The focus of analysis is limited to the ways the teachers teach and

deal with these three autistic children.

G. Organization of Term Paper

This term paper starts with the Abstract, which is the summary of the

entire paper in Indonesian; it is followed by Declaration of Originality,

which is the statement about the originality of the work. Next is the

Acknowledgements, which contains the expression of gratitude to the

people who have supported me, and the Table of Contents. This term

paper is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction; it

contains Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,

Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution,

Method of the Study, Limitations of the Study, and Organization of the

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6 _{Maranatha Christian University} explaining the causes and the effects of the problem. Chapter Three

explains the possible solutions, along with the positive and negative

effects. Chapter Four describes the best solutions to solve the

problem. The Bibliography contains all the references used, both from

printed sources and electronic publications. The last part is Appendix,

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

In the previous chapters, I have analyzed the causes, the effects and the

potential solutions for a specific problem in the classroom. The problem is the

three teachers at Yahya Elementary School found it difficult to teach three

autistic children in grades 1, 3 and 5. There are some causes of the problem.

First, the three autistic children often cannot interact or communicate with the

teacher and other children. Second, the teachers do not have any experience

in teaching autistic children. There are some effects of this problem. First, the

teachers cannot manage the class well. Second, the autistic children are not

able to understand the instructions and do the exercises. Third, the teachers

become physically and emotionally exhausted.

In order to solve the problem, there are some potential solutions. First, the

teacher reviews the lesson twice a week with the autistic child in their class

after finishing the regular class. Second, the teachers will open a special

afternoon class once a week for autistic children where the teachers give

lessons on social skills, such as how to greet people and follow instructions.

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18 Maranatha Christian University

Fourth, the teachers should learn about autistic children from a psychologist

or some references. In this chapter, I would like to present the best solution

for the problem.

The best solutions for the problem are the combination of two potential

solutions. The three teachers review the lesson twice a week with the autistic

children in their class after finishing the regular class and the teachers should

learn about autistic children from a psychologist or some references to get

valuable insights and practical tips on how to deal with the autistic children.

These solutions are very useful for the teachers.

It is important to give review of the lesson for autistic children to make

them understand and follow the lesson better. Moreover, the teachers must

consult with a psychologist about the autistic children because the teachers

need to understand the characteristics of the autistic children so that they can

interact well with the autistic children and identify their characteristics. It is

important for teachers who teach autistic children to get knowledge about

teaching children with special class (“How To Help Your School Educate Your

Autistic Child”). Therefore, the teachers will be able to deal with the autistic

children effectively when they have proper knowledge about teaching autistic

children and have individual interactions with them.

Teachers in Yahya Elementary School have difficulty in dealing with

autistic children because it was their first experience in teaching children with

autism. It is expected that applying these two solutions will be helpful for the

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Therefore, Yahya Elementary School will increase the quality of the teachers

in teaching autistic children.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Peeters, Theo. Panduan Autisme Terlengkap. Jakarta: Dian Rakyat, 2004.

Electronic Sources

Abraham B.S. and Geschwind DH. “Autism”. 10 June 2008. 06 April 2010.

< http://www.Autism.com-html>.

---,“How To Teach Autistic Children”. 10 June 2008. 06 April 2010.

< http://www.how to teach autistic children-html>.

Doja A. and Robert W. “What Does Autism Mean”. 5 December 2006. 20 April

2010 < http://www.what does autism mean.com.html>.

Dowshen, S. ,MD. “Free Lesson Plans for Autistic Children”. 2 April 2008.

20 April 2010 < www.articlebase.com >.

Grandin Temple. “Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism”.

December 2002. 15 December 2010.

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Plumley,Karen. “Classroom Discipline for Autistic Students”. 23 April 2009. 15

December 2010. <

www.suite101.com/../classroom-discipline-for-autistic-students >

Rosy. “Autistic Children in the Classroom”. 3 May 2009.

<http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles>

Stefanators G.A. “How To Help Your School Educate Your Autistic Child”

December 2002. 15 December 2010. < www.articlebase.com >

Waltz, Mitzi. “Autism Fact Sheet”. 14 May 2010. 15 December 2010.

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