THE EFFECT OF ARTICULATING TRAINING AND THE USE OF EDUCATIONAL GAMES ON IMPROVING VERBAL COMMUNICATION ABILITIES IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY (A Single-Subject Study on Nayla Alifah Firmansyah)

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of two variables articulation exercises and the use of educational toys on the verbal communication skills of a child with cerebral palsy (Nayla Alifah Firmansyah), as well as to compare the effects of these two variables. A single-subject research design (ABA) was employed to assess Nayla Alifah Firmansyah’s expressive and receptive verbal responses to the articulation exercises and educational toys administered by the researcher. The study results showed that: (1) following the articulation exercise treatment, the child demonstrated a higher level of verbal communication ability (6,526 points or 55%); (2) following the treatment involving educational toys, the child demonstrated a lower level of verbal communication ability (5,260 points or 45%); and (3) a comparison revealed a difference in the effects of the two treatments, with articulation exercises proving more effective than the use of educational toys. Additionally, the study yielded a further finding: (4) the results in points 1, 2, and 3 applied only when Nayla was in good physical and psychological health; following an illness, she lost the communication skills she had previously mastered, necessitating a restart of the intervention treatment from the beginning.