Community Service by UPN "Veteran Jakarta": Stimulation Classes for Children with Down Syndrome through Play Therapy

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: Devi Puspita Sari, S.Komp
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FIKES UPNVJ - Lecturers and students from the Physiotherapy Department at Universitas Pembangunan Nasional "Veteran" Jakarta, in collaboration with the Association of Parents of Children with Down Syndrome (POTADS), held a community service activity at Rumah Ceria POTADS, South Jakarta.

“The theme of this community service is parental support for children with Down syndrome through play therapy to optimize their growth and development,” said Mona Oktarina, a member of the Community Service Team, recently.

This activity was enthusiastically attended by parents and children with Down syndrome, encompassing activities such as singing, dancing, storytelling, motor stimulation by playing in tunnels and obstacles, and sensory stimulation by making snowman crafts.

“This activity aims to develop the field of physiotherapy in the community and introduce play therapy that can be used to stimulate the growth and development of children,” said Fidyatul Nazhira, another team member.

Susiana Jansen added that this community service program ran smoothly, starting with a pretest for parents, followed by stimulation classes through play therapy, and ending with a posttest to measure the parents’ understanding of the material presented.

At the end of the stimulation class, the students invited the parents and children with Down syndrome to sing and dance together again to enhance parent-child bonding.