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Asesment: Journal of Counseling Guidline!
Vol. 1 No. 1 June 2023!
e-ISSN: xxxx xxxx | p-ISSN: xxxx xxxx!
https://asesment.staiku.ac.id/index.php/mt!
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GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS!
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Khobirudin Assidiq, Catniya, Beautiful Azzahra !
Islamic Education Counseling Guidance, Faculty of Tarbiyah, IAI Bunga Bangsa Cirebon, Indonesia.!
Khobirudinassidiq@gmail.com , ctniya12@gmail.com, iazzahra22@gmail.com!
Abstract!
This research departs from the problems that occur in children with special needs. The characteristics of
children with special needs differ from one child to another. So that the characteristics and constraints
experienced by children with special needs require them to get special education services that should be
adapted to the abilities and potential of the child. Children with special needs experience weakness but
also have physical, mental, emotional, intellectual or social strengths. The opportunity for ABK to obtain
education has expanded along with the introduction of inclusive schools. SLB schools are schools that
accept ABK students to study.!
!
Keywords: Guidance And Counseling; ABK; Education!
!
Introduction !
The government's big concern is inclusive education due to the increasing number of children with
special needs (ABK) in Indonesia. Education is the basic need of every human being to ensure his survival and
to be more dignified. Therefore, the state has an obligation to provide quality education services to every
citizen without exception, including those who have differences in abilities (disabilities) as stated in Article
31 (1) of the 1945 Constitution. But unfortunately, the education system in Indonesia has not accommodated
diversity, causing the emergence of segmentation of educational institutions based on differences in religion,
ethnicity, and even differences in physical and mental abilities possessed by students. Clearly, this
segmentation of educational institutions has hindered students from being able to learn to respect the reality
of diversity in society (Sarjono, 2019).!
The number of Children with Special Needs (ABK) in Indonesia is still fairly high. According to BPS data
in 2017, it is estimated that there are approximately 1.6 million children with special needs in Indonesia.
Most of these ABKs have not received inclusion education services. Reporting to the kemendikbud.go.id
page, out of 1.6 million, only 18% have received inclusive education services (Kompas, 2019). Getting an
education is a right for all humans, including children with special needs (ABK). This is in accordance with the
mandate of Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System article 5 states that "Every
citizen has the same right to receive education, and citizens who have physical, emotional, intellectual,
mental and/or social disorders are entitled to special education" and also more specifically regulated in the
Minister of National Education Regulation number 70 of 2009 (Pratiwi, 2015). These two rules are strong
evidence of the implementation of inclusive education in the community. (Saefulloh et al., 2022)!
ABK's opportunities for education have expanded with the introduction of inclusive schools. SLB School
is a school that accepts ABK students to study. Guidance and counseling programs for ABK both in SLB and
segregation education are focused on adaptive behavior development interventions, family counseling, and
even preparation related to the possibility of ABK entering community life or the world of work. But
unfortunately, according to Sunardi (2005), the implementation of BK programs in schools has not been
carried out systematically and intensively, even though actually special assistance teachers (GPK) and BK
teachers already understand the urgency of BK services in the success process of ABK. (Badiah, 2017)!
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Based on the description above, the implementation of the BK program for ABK in SLB schools (special
schools) The objectives of this study are to describe: (1) the implementation of the BK program for ABK in
SLB (special schools), (2) the approach used in the BK program for ABK in SLB schools (special schools), (3)
Obstacles faced in the implementation of the BK program for ABK in SLB schools (special schools), and (4)
Solutions carried out to overcome obstacles faced in the implementation of BK programs for ABK in SLB
(special schools). (Badiah, 2017)!
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Research Method!
This research is a type of library research, which is research whose object of study uses library data
in the form of books as data sources. Read, study, and analyze various literature in journals and books
available in the bibliography section as references that we take.!
!
Result And Discussion !
Understanding Children with Special Needs !
Children with Special Needs (ABK) is a substitute term for children with disabilities or disabilities.
Actually, the term Children with Special Needs is to designate those who have physical, emotional, mental,
intellectual, and/or social disorders. The government understands the conditions that have shortcomings and
advantages of abilities, especially in the field of education. Children with special needs should get equal
treatment in obtaining a proper and quality education. In order for children with special needs to get the
right teaching, it is necessary to pay attention to the types of special needs (ABK). !
The concept of children with special needs can be categorized into two major groups, namely children
with special needs who are temporary and children with special needs who are permanent (Setianingsih,
2018)!
a. Children with special needs are temporary !
Children with special needs who are temporary are children who experience learning barriers and
developmental barriers caused by external factors. For example, children who experience emotional
disorders due to trauma due to rape so that this child cannot learn. Such traumatic experiences are
temporary, but if the child does not receive appropriate intervention, it may become permanent. !
b. Children with Special Needs who are Permanent !
Children with special needs that are permanent are children who experience learning barriers and
developmental barriers that are internal and a direct result of disability, such as children who lose vision,
hearing, impaired intelligence, and cognition development, motion (motor) disorders, interaction-
communication disorders, emotional, social and behavioral disorders. In other words, children with
special needs who are permanent are the same as children with disabilities.!
The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia 2013,
explained that children with special needs are: !
"Children who experience limitations or abnormalities, both physical, mental-intellectual, social, and
emotional, which have a significant influence on the process of growth or development compared to
other children of the same age". !
Understanding of children with special needs to context, some are biological, psychological, and socio-
cultural. The biological basis of children with special needs can be associated with genetic disorders and
explains the biological classification of children with special needs, such as brain injury which can result in
multiple disabilities. In the psychological context, children with special needs are more easily recognized from
attitudes and behaviors, such as disorders of learning ability in slow learner children, impaired emotional and
interacting abilities in autistic children, impaired speech skills in autistic children and ADHD. The socio-
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cultural concept recognizes children with special needs as children with abilities and behaviors that are not
in general, so they require special handling. (Widyorini et al., 2014)!
In general, it can be concluded that children with special needs (Heward, 2002) are children with
special characteristics that are different from children in general without always showing mental, emotional
or physical disabilities. Other terms for children with special needs are extraordinary children and children
with disabilities. Children with special needs can be defined simply as children who are slow or have a
disorder (retarded) who are very difficult to succeed in school like children in general. Children with special
needs are children who educationally require specific services that are different from children in general.
(Widyorini et al., 2014)
!
Characteristics of Children with Special Needs!
In this section, we will understand the characteristics of children with special needs who experience
physical abnormalities, namely blind, deaf, and disabled children. For this reason, you are expected to be
able to look at it well, and read references that are relevant to the study of this material. After participating
in the discussion of this subunit, you are expected to be able to explain the characteristics of children with
special needs who experience physical abnormalities. (Faturrahman, 2018)
!
Characteristics of Blind Children!
Blind children are children who experience abnormalities or impaired visual functions, which are
expressed with a level of visual acuity or central vision above 20/200 and pedagogically require special
educational services in learning at school. Some of the characteristics of blind children are:!
1. Physical Aspect !
Physically blind children, there are abnormalities in the organs of vision / eyes, which can be
clearly distinguished from normal children in general, this is seen in mobility activities and motor
responses which are feedback from visual stimuli. !
2. Motor Aspect !
The loss of the sense of sight does not actually have a direct effect on the motor state of blind
children, but with the loss of visual experience causes the blind to be less able to orient the environment.
Unlike normal children, blind children must learn how to walk safely and efficiently in an environment
with a wide range of orientation and mobility skills. !
3. Behaviour !
The condition of visual impairment does not directly cause problems or behavioral deviations in
children, although it does affect their behavior. Children with visual impairments often exhibit
stereotyped behavior, thus exhibiting improper behavior. Manifestations of such behavior can include
frequent pressing of his eyes, making sounds with his fingers, shaking his head and body, or circling.
There are several theories that reveal why blind people sometimes develop stereotypical behavior. It
occurs probably as a result of the absence of sensory stimuli, limited activity and movement in the
environment, and social limitations. To reduce or eliminate these behaviors by helping them increase
activity, or by using certain behavioral strategies, such as giving praise or teaching alternatives, more
positive behaviors, and so on.!
4. Academic !
In general academic ability, blind children are just like normal children in general. The state of
visual impairment affects the development of academic skills, especially in the fields of reading and
writing. With such conditions, blind people use various alternative media or tools for reading and
writing, according to their respective needs. They may use braille or printed letters with various size
alternatives. With appropriate assessment and learning, blind people can develop their reading and
writing skills like any other sighted friend. !
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5. Personal and Social !
Given that blind people have limitations in learning through observation and imitation, children
with disabilities often have difficulty in carrying out correct social behavior. As a result of visual
impairment affecting social skills, blind children need to get hands-on training in the areas of friendship
development, maintaining eye contact or facial orientation, good posture appearance, using body
movements and facial expressions, using voice or speech intonation in expressing feelings, conveying
the right message at the time of communication. These limitations result in limitations in gaining
experience and also affect social relationships. From this situation results in blind people more visibly
having an attitude: !
• Excessive suspicion of others, this is due to his inability to orient towards his environment !
• Irritable. As a result of unpleasant or disappointing experiences that are often experienced, making
blind children irritable. !
• Dependence on others. Blind children generally have a strong attitude of dependence on others in
activities of daily living. Such conditions are generally natural in blind children with regard to the
limitations that exist in them.!
!
Characteristics of Deaf Children!
Deafness is a term that refers to the condition of malfunction of the hearing organs or ears of a child.
This condition causes them to have distinctive characteristics, different from normal children in general.
Some characteristics of deaf children, including:!
1. Physical Aspect!
• The gait is stiff and slightly bent. As a result of problems in the balance organs in the ears, causing
deaf children to experience imbalance in physical activity. !
• The breathing is short, and irregular. Deaf children never listen to voices in everyday life, how to
vocalize or pronounce words with good intonation, so they are also not used to regulating their
breathing well, especially in speaking. !
• The way to look at it is a bit violent. Vision is one of the most dominant senses for children with
hearing impairment, with most experiences gained through sight. Therefore, deaf children are also
known as visual children, so the way of seeing always shows great curiosity and looks violent.!
2. Language Square !
• Poor vocabulary !
• Difficult to interpret words that contain phrases, or idiomatic !
• The grammar is poorly organized !
3. Intellectual property!
• His intellectual ability is normal. Basically, deaf children do not experience intellectual problems.
However, due to limitations in communication and language, intellectual development becomes
slow.!
• His academic progress was slow due to language limitations. Along with the lag in intellectual
development due to obstacles in communication, in terms of academics also experience delays. !
4. Social-emotional !
• Often feel suspicious and doubtful. This attitude occurs due to abnormalities in hearing function.
They can't understand what others are talking about, so deaf children become easily suspicious. !
• Often behave aggressively.!
Characteristics of Children with Disabilities!
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Children with disabilities are children who experience physical abnormalities, or body defects, which
include limb abnormalities or who experience limb abnormalities and paralysis caused by abnormalities in
the central nerve or brain, referred to as cerebral palcsy (CP), with the following characteristics:!
1. Motor Disorders !
Motor disorders include stiffness, paralysis, uncontrollable movements, rhythmic movements and
impaired balance. These motor disorders include gross motor and fine motor. !
2. Sensory Disorders!
The sensory center in humans leaked the brain, considering that cerebral palsy children are
children who experience abnormalities in the brain, so often cerebral palsy children are accompanied
by sensory disorders, some sensory disorders include vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Visual
impairment in cerebral palsy occurs due to an imbalance of the eye muscles as a result of brain damage.
Hearing loss in cerebral palsy children is often found in the athetoid type. !
3. Intelligence Level Impairment !
Although cerebral palsy children are caused by brain abnormalities, the state of intelligence of
cerebral palsy children varies, the intelligence level of cerebral palsy children ranging from the lowest
level to gifted. About 45% were mentally retarded, and another 35% had normal and above-average
intelligence. While the rest tend to be below average. !
4. Speaking Ability !
Children with cerebral palsy experience speech disorders caused by motor abnormalities of
speech muscles, especially in articulation organs such as the tongue, lips, and lower jaw, and some occur
due to lack and no interaction process with the environment. With such circumstances, the speech of
cerebral palsy children becomes unclear and difficult for others to accept. !
5. Emotions and Social Adjustment !
Societal responses and attitudes to disorders in cerebral palsy children, affect the child's personal
formation in general. Children's emotions vary greatly, depending on the stimulation they receive. In
general, it is not too different from normal children, except for some unmet needs that can cause
uncontrollable emotions. Societal attitudes or acceptance towards cerebral palsy children can lead to
the condition of children who feel inferior or lack confidence, irritable, and like to be alone, and less able
to adjust themselves and get along with the environment. !
While children who experience paralysis due to damage to motor muscles that are often suffered by
children after polio and other muscle dystrophy result in motor disorders, especially locomosi,
movement in place, and mobilization. There are some children with severe, mild, and moderate
movement disorders. To move places, you need ambulation tools, you also need tools to meet your
needs, which is to meet the needs of movement. In everyday life the child needs help and appropriate
tools. The state of intellectual capacity of children with muscle movement disorders is no different
from normal children. (Faturrahman, 2018)
!
Guidance and Counseling Services for Children with Special Needs!
Guidance and Counseling Services to run smoothly need good or careful planning preparation in
arranging an activity. These activities are organized through a form of mentorship program. Planning is
prepared through several stages of preparation in order to become a program, therefore, BK services for ABK
students must have a separate program that is not used as one with BK service programs for normal students.
The problem of planning BK services for students with special needs in making special programs. (Solekhah,
2020)!
The following are the research findings related to planning Guidance and Counseling services for
students with special needs: !
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1. Guidance and Counseling teachers conduct need assessments in advance for students with special
needs. !
2. The instruments used by guidance and counseling teachers are questionnaires that are about physical,
cognitive, and social interaction, how to communicate, and sensory. !
3. Guidance and counseling teachers do not have special programs for children with special needs so
programs for normal children and children with special needs are still used as one program. !
4. Has facilities for children with special needs in the form of a resource room for ABK children, toilets for
ABK children, wheelchairs, and special ABK downhill roads.!
This was explained by informant 1 Guidance and Counseling teacher (W/01/F01/a/1-4) stating that:
"The Guidance and Counseling teacher has carried out a need assessment of students with special needs
using an instrument in the form of a questionnaire. But Guidance and Counseling teachers do not yet have a
special program for children with special needs. (Solekhah, 2020)!
Programs for normal students and ABK are still used as one. However, the facilities for students with
special needs are enough to support them in the form of resource rooms for ABK children, toilets for ABK
children, wheelchairs, and special downhill roads for ABK". !
Making BK programs for students with special needs separate from Guidance and Counseling programs
for normal students is very important for the smooth and systematic planning of guidance and counseling
services. The findings of this researcher are in accordance with the theory explained by Sunardi (in Badiah
2017: 10) the implementation of the Guidance and Counseling program in schools has not been carried out
systematically and intensively, even though actually special assistance teachers (GPK) and BK teachers
already understand the urgency of BK services in the success process of ABK. !
Guidance and Counseling service activities will run smoothly with support regarding facilities and
infrastructure. This is in accordance with Sukardi's opinion (2008: 98) suggesting that: Guidance and
Counseling service activities will run smoothly as planned if supported by adequate infrastructure. !
Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that the planning of BK services for students is
less than optimal because the Guidance and Counseling teacher has carried out a need assessment for
students with special needs using instruments in the form of questionnaires for students with special needs
who are concerned about physical, cognitive, social interaction, how to communicate, and sensory. However,
Guidance and Counseling teachers do not have a separate program between the Guidance and Counseling
program for students with special needs and children with normal needs, so the program made is still used
as one. However, the facilities and infrastructure for children with special needs are good because they are
supported by special facilities for children with special needs such as resource rooms for children with
children, toilets for children with children, wheelchairs, and special downhill roads for ABK. (Solekhah, 2020)!
Guidance and counseling services for students with special needs are carried out by looking at or
adjusting the needs and abilities of students in receiving the material provided so that Guidance and
Counseling teachers can help solve problems and optimize the needs of their students. The following are the
research findings related to the implementation of BK services for ABK students: !
1. The implementation of providing Guidance and Counseling services to students with special needs is
carried out by looking at the abilities possessed by students with special needs in receiving the material
or services provided.!
2. The types of services used in providing Guidance and Counseling services to students with special needs
are group guidance services, and individual counseling.!
3. In addition, to facilitate guidance and counseling for students with special needs, teachers collaborate
with inclusion education.!
!
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Group Guidance Services !
Group guidance services are services that allow a number of students to jointly obtain material from
resource persons or Guidance and Counseling teachers or counselors who aim to develop the social skills of
students with special needs with normal child students. Group guidance is intended so that students with
special needs with normal students or their environment can socialize well so that students with special
needs do not feel different from others. !
Based on the explanation above, the provision of group guidance services regarding socializing
attitudes with friends or with the environment can provide understanding to students of children with special
needs. !
The organizer of this group guidance service is BK teacher, MM. The implementation of group guidance
services in the implementation of Guidance and Counseling services for students with special needs is given
to normal students and students with special needs who are made one in a room or outside the room, with
an allocation of 1x45 minutes, the 1st meeting of two meetings. Where the developmental task that must be
achieved by children's students has a special need, namely being able to socialize with normal students in
general or with their environment. The topic of the problem chosen is the attitude of socializing with friends
and the environment. (Solekhah, 2020)!
Individual counseling services!
Individual counseling services are services provided by Guidance and Counseling teachers to a client
with the aim that clients understand their own conditions, their environment, problems experienced,
strengths, and weaknesses so that clients are able to overcome them. Individual counseling services are
provided in order to accept and understand their own condition.!
The provider of this individual counseling service is the Guidance and Counseling teacher, MM.
Implementation of individual counseling services is provided to students with special needs in the Guidance
and Counseling room with a time allocation of 1x60 or more that discusses personal problems owned by
students with special needs. The purpose of individual counseling is the alleviation of client problems or
students with special needs. If the implementation of individual counseling services to students with special
needs provided by the Guidance and Counseling teacher does not run effectively, the Guidance and
Counseling teacher conducts a follow-up with a home visit accompanied by a psychologist. The
implementation of Guidance and Counseling services for students with special needs in addition to using
several types of Guidance and Counseling services, Guidance and Counseling teachers also collaborate with
other parties. The collaboration carried out is useful for Guidance and Counseling teachers to provide insight
into how to deal with students with special needs. The collaboration is in the form of socialization held at
SMP Negeri 2 Metro with inclusive education at the beginning of every new teaching and those who
participate in the socialization are not only Guidance and Counseling teachers but all school personnel,
parents of students with special needs, and sometimes students with special needs also participate in the
socialization activities. (Solekhah, 2020)
!
Evaluation of Guidance and Counseling for Children with Special Needs!
After implementing the Guidance and Counseling service, the Guidance and Counseling teacher
conducts an assessment or evaluation of the success in service delivery. Evaluation of the implementation of
Guidance and Counseling services is intended to be all efforts, actions or processes to determine the quality
and progress of activities related to the implementation of Guidance and Counseling services in schools.
(Solekhah, 2020)!
The following are the research findings related to the evaluation of BK services for ABK students: !
a. Guidance and Counseling teachers evaluate the provision of services that have been provided to
students with special needs by looking at the changes and developments that occur in students with
special needs !
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b. If there is a change in social attitudes or in other respects, it means that the services provided by the
Guidance and Counseling teacher are successful so that the Guidance and Counseling teacher will
provide other material in other services to students with special needs. !
This was conveyed by informant 1 teacher of Guidance and Counseling W/01/F03/c/1 as follows:
"Evaluation is carried out by looking at whether or not there are changes that occur. It turns out that after
being given services, students with special needs experience good development". !
The findings of the researcher are supported by the opinion of Sukardi and Kusumawati (2008: 96) that
the objectives of the assessment of Guidance and Counseling services in schools are: helping teachers
improve the way students teach in the classroom, allowing the Guidance and Counseling program to function
more effectively, helping to develop the existing curriculum in schools towards the suitability of student
needs. Based on the explanation above, Guidance and Counseling teachers evaluate the implementation of
Guidance and Counseling services for children with special needs, namely by looking at the changes and
developments that occur in students with special needs. (Solekhah, 2020)!
Evaluation is carried out to determine the achievement and success of guidance and counseling
services that have been implemented, through the evaluation process can later determine the service follow-
up plan. Every month BK Counselors/Teachers evaluate the guidance and counseling service programs that
have been implemented. For example, regular evaluation through activity journals for each student with
intellectual disabilities. This journal contains information and problems faced by students, as well as services
that have been provided. BK Counselor/Teacher always checks and monitors whether the student still shows
the same problem. If the method is not successful in solving the problem, the BK Counselor/Teacher will
replace it with another method. Evaluation of daily, bulalan, semester and annual work programs is always
carried out by BK Counselors / Teachers to determine the achievement, success and follow-up plans for
guidance and counseling services. (Zubaidah & Utomo, 2021)!
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Conclusion !
Guidance and counseling for children with special needs is a program that aims to provide special
education services to children with special needs. In this study, researchers discussed the implementation of
counseling guidance programs for children with special needs in special schools (SLB).!
In conclusion, the study concluded that children with special needs need special education tailored to
their needs and potential. The implementation of counseling guidance programs for children with special
needs in SLB still faces several obstacles, but improvement efforts continue to be made to overcome these
problems!
!
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