Occupational performance of the primary schoolchildren with special education needs in Malaysia: exploring the needs of school-based therapy service

• Main Authors: Khin, Nyein Yin, Voo, Siew Ching, Chin, Suliong, May Honey Ohn, Fatimah Ahmedy, Ohnmar Htwe, Dayang Maryama Ag. Daud, Helen Lasimbang
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sabah 2021
• Subjects: LC4001-4806.5 Children and youth with disabilities. Learning disabled children and youth
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/30487/1/Occupational%20Performance%20of%20the%20Primary%20Schoolchildren%20with%20Special%20Education%20Needs%20in%20Malaysia_%20Exploring%20the%20Needs%20of%20School-based%20Therapy%20Service%20ABSTRACT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/30487/2/Occupational%20Performance%20of%20the%20Primary%20Schoolchildren%20with%20Special%20Education%20Needs%20in%20Malaysia%20Exploring%20the%20Needs%20of%20School-based%20Therapy%20Service%20FULL%20TEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/30487/; https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/bjms/article/view/2412/2074

Children’s occupational performance are activities of daily living, play/ leisure, social participation, education, and work. In developed countries, school-based therapy services are being provided for schoolchildren with special needs. The importance of these services in Malaysia is timely to be explored. This exploratory cross-sectional study identified occupational performance levels of primary schoolchildren with special needs in integrated special education programmes in Malaysia; children with intellectual disability, autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Down syndrome, speech impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and specific learning disorder. Researchers conducted Motor-Free Visual Perceptual Test Third Edition (MVPT-3), Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration Fifth Edition (Beery-VMI), Test of Gross Motor Development – 2 (TGMD-2), Test of Hand Writing Skills-Revised (THS-R), and School Function Assessment (SFA) for 121 students. Results showed that 69.5% of the students scored very low to low average in MVPT-3 (median standard score = 70.0, Std. IQR = 37); 69.4% were very low to below average in Beery-VMI (mean standard score = 78.8, Std. deviation = 20.5); 73% were below age level raw score in TGMD-2; 72.8% were below average in THS-R (median standard score = 74.0, Std. IQR = 27.0); and 81% were below the criterion cut-off in school function. The children with below-normal MVPT, VMI, TGMD2, and THS scores, compared to the children with normal scores for these tests had significantly lower scores (p < 0.001). All the students had impairment in occupation performance at least in one area. This study recommends school-based occupational therapy and other rehabilitation services in the school system in Malaysia.