Influence of Parental Support on Acquiring Adaptive Skills Among Learner Living With Autism in Lower Primary Schools, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

Parents in consultation with schools provide positive environment that motivate learners to exploit inherent potential for sustainable participation in class and societal activities. Effective and efficient parental support which integrates constructs such as nurturing using applied behaviour analysis, occupational and speech therapy techniques may accentuate realization of adaptive skills for accelerating learning for positive living. This study sought to assess influence of parental support on acquiring adaptive skills among learners living with autism in lower primary schools Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to; examine effectiveness of applied behaviour analysis, explore influence of occupational therapy, and assess effect of speech therapy on learner with autism acquisition in adaptive skills. The study sample was purposefully and conveniently selected, and was made up of 20 learners living with autism, 20 parents of the selected learners and 4 class teachers from 4 sub-counties in Nairobi county. The study used Zone of Proximal Development theory by Vygotsky to support what a learner living with autism can learn within their level in the ZPD when parental support is provide for acquisition in adaptive skills. Experimental method was adopted through use of Solomon four group design where four groups were formed; two for treatment and two control, then each category was further spilt into two; pre-test and no pre-test group. Questionnaire were used to source data from parents and teachers. Treatment activities were given to parents and teachers and a pre-test and post-test administered using achievement tests to the learners living with autism. Data collected was coded and entered into Microsoft excel and statistical package for social sciences, software for statistical analysis. Data analysis process generated frequency distributions, descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation, and Levene and t-statistics for significance tests. Analysis on post-test achievement scores between learners living with autism in the experiment and control groups gave a Sig. value for Levene’s test of 0.551 is higher than 0.05 hence equal variance were assumed. The t statistic of -2.723 with a p-value of 0.014 which is less than 0.05 showing mean scores obtained by learners in experimental and control group were significantly different. And hence rejecting null hypothesis and adopting the alternative that Parental support by use of ABA, OT and ST, influenced acquisition in adaptive skills of communication, self-care and social interaction among learners living with autism in lower primary schools Nairobi, Kenya. A follow up with parents on how application of treatment was doing got an interesting response that the activities were an eye opener and parents started applying immediately and seeing positive gains; thus would recommend use of intervention at home and at school for achievement in adaptive skill among learners living with autism. I would recommend proper implementation of inclusive education for proper learning among learners living with disability as when they are placed in large numbers and alone, they become overwhelming to the teachers and this limits their ability to benefit from academic learning and thus end up being left out. The study however had in many instances large deviations to mean and considering the small sample size, would therefore recommend further study on influence of parental support by use of simplified and fun activities at home and in school of ABA, OT and ST for generalization of findings.