Unesa.ac.id. SURABAYA—Inclusive education is an effort to provide equal rights to all children, including Children with Special Needs (ABK). The principle of inclusivity emphasizes that every child, regardless of physical, mental, social or emotional background, has the right to learn and develop in a supportive educational environment.
Inclusivity alone is not enough, but it also requires a strategic role in the form of guidance and counseling. This is because children with special needs face very diverse challenges, both in terms of social, emotional and academic development.
The urgency of the guidance and counseling approach was emphasized by Endang Pudjiastuti Sartinah during her inauguration as a professor in the field of guidance and counseling for children with special needs, on 29 October 2024, at the Sawunggaling Performance Hall, UNESA, Campus 2 Lidah Wetan.
In his oration entitled "The Strategic Role of Guidance and Counseling for Children with Special Needs: Realizing Holistic, Inclusive Education," he said, educational counselors function as facilitators who help ABK overcome their obstacles, as well as grow their potential as a whole.
The role of guidance and counseling involves various aspects. First, improving social skills. Counselors help ABK develop communication and social interaction skills so they can participate fully in school and community life.
Second, emotional strengthening. Many crew members experience emotional stress or have difficulty adapting to their environment. Counselors have an important role in helping them manage feelings, deal with stress, and build self-confidence.
Third, appropriate academic support. Not all learning methods are suitable for ABK. Counselors can help tailor learning strategies to suit each child's individual needs, ensuring they can reach their best academic potential.
Children with special needs require special interventions to help them reach their maximum potential. Because they have different conditions, some have visual disabilities, hearing disabilities, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, multiple disabilities, etc., which require a holistic approach.
Holistic Inclusive Education
Prof. Endang Pudjiastuti Sartinah with her extended family on her inauguration day as professor in the field of guidance and counseling for children with needs specifically UNESA.
According to him, holistic education is not just includes academic aspects, but also includes character development, social skills, and mental and emotional health. To achieve this holistic education, guidance and counseling must be the main pillars that support the inclusive education process.
Counselors play a role in understanding children as a whole, not only based on the difficulties they face, but also on the potential that can be developed. With a holistic approach, counselors must be able to see ABK as unique individuals, with different strengths and challenges.
Then design a comprehensive intervention, which not only helps ABK in the classroom, but also in their social and emotional lives, and which is no less important, counselors are able to work together with teachers, parents and educational staff others to create an environment that supports optimal development of crew members.
In a research study conducted with the team, one of the biggest challenges faced by ABK was difficulties in adjusting and social interaction. These children often experience obstacles in understanding social rules and communicating with peers, which often leads to social isolation and, in some cases, aggressive behavior or withdrawal.
His research found that modifications to traditional games such as hide and seek were able to improve the social skills of students with mild intellectual disabilities. On the academic side, many crew members have difficulty following the regular curriculum due to various factors, such as cognitive barriers or concentration problems.
In this case, he suggests guidance that focuses on vocational programs, which allow children to hone non-academic skills that suit their needs.
Emotional problems including anxiety and frustration, general behavior such as hyperactivity or impulsivity, especially experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) need attention.
Apart from that, ABK often face stigma and discrimination from the surrounding environment, for this reason, environmental support is also needed, both from school and family, which is very crucial for the development of ABK. Regarding access to vocational education, a career guidance model for children with special needs has also been developed.[*]
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Reporter Team: Retno Nurus Sholekha (internship), Saputra (FBS), M Dian Purnama (FMIPA), Zakariya Putra Soekarno (Fisipol), Dewanda (Internship), and M. Azhar Adi Mas'ud (FBS).
Editor: @zam*
Photo: UNESA PR Team
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