The Effect of Interactive Hand Puppet on Joint Attention Ability in Children with Autism

Abstract

Children with Autism (CWA) have neurodevelopment disorders that impact their social interaction, communication, and behavior. This study was conducted to identify the joint attention ability of CWA before, during, and after being given an intervention using interactive hand puppet media. Besides, this study also analyzes the effect of interactive hand puppet media on the ability of CWA. This study uses a quantitative approach with a single subject research (SSR) experimental research method with an A -B -A design and a combination of prompting behavior modification and positive reinforcement techniques. The obtained data were analyzed in conditions and between conditions. The results showed that before the intervention was given, the child's CWA was low, as presented by the limited frequency and intensity, with the results of 26 times and 73.02 s. During the intervention, there was an increase in the ability of joint attention as indicated by the increasing number of frequencies, but it did not affect the intensity of the joint attention ability. After the intervention, the average frequency and intensity were higher than the initial baseline. Therefore, the use of interactive hand puppet media significantly increases the frequency of joint attention abilities. However, it does not affect the duration of the joint attention ability of CWA. The use of media is essential for students in the learning process. It is expected that educators will develop more interactive media to help students during the learning process.