The Effect of Finger Painting on the Fine Motor Skills of Children with Down Syndrome at the Sumber Dharma Special Education School

Abstract

Children with Down syndrome generally experience difficulties with fine motor skills, particularly in active finger use, alternating finger use, and hand-eye coordination. This study aims to analyze the effect of finger painting activities on the fine motor skills of children with Down syndrome at the Sumber Dharma Special Education School. The study employed a Single Subject Research (SSR) experimental method with an A-B-A design consisting of baseline-1 (A1) with 5 sessions, an intervention (B) with 8 sessions, and baseline-2 (A2) with 5 sessions. The research subject was a ninth-grade student with Down syndrome. Data were collected through observation using a 12-item instrument with three indicators of fine motor skills and a 1–4 rating scale. Analysis was conducted visually within and across conditions. The results showed an average fine motor skill score of 59.58% in A1, which increased to 71.35% in B, and stood at 68.52% in A2. The intervention phase showed an upward trend and 87.5% stability. The change from level A1 to B was +4.17%, and the overlap percentage between A1 and B was 12.5%. These results indicate that finger painting activities have a positive effect on fine motor skills, and some of the skills acquired persisted after the intervention ended.