STRENGTHENING THE INTERPERSONAL SKILLS OF DIFFERENTLY ABLED BUT MENTALLY CAPABLE GRADE 1 PUPILS: BASIS FOR AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM
Authors: G. Contreras Josephine 
Published: January 2024

The study aims to know how the interpersonal relationships of differently abled but mentally capable grade 1 pupils may be strengthened through intervention program. It is indeed that the people who influence one’s development play a great factor in the contribution of developing a child holistically particularly his interpersonal relationships with others. It is indeed a challenge for the parents, teachers and fellow pupils to be a part of one’s social development specifically children with physical disabilities for one way or another social competence affect the academic achievements of the child. No matter how intelligent the child is, physical appearance attributes in considering a person to be a friend and be accepted by others. In this regard, the study seek to determine if there is a need to recommend intervention programs that will strengthened the personal relationship skills of differently abled children. The null hypothesis of the study is: The intervention programs do not significantly strengthened the interpersonal relationship skills of differently abled but mentally capable grade 1 pupils. The descriptive-normative method of research was employed in this study. It utilized the research made and validated questionnaire as the main instrument for gathering of data. Public elementary schools in the 1st District of Malabon City were covered in this study. The six (6) schools are: Malabon Elementary School, Dampalit Elementary School (Main), Dampalit Elementary School, Panghulo Elementary School (Main), Panghulo Elementary School, and Santulan Elementary School. There were twenty (20) respondents including teachers, school coordinators, district coordinators and Special Education (SPED) adviser in the public elementary school and seven (7) differently abled but mentally capable grade 1 pupils and three hundred twenty four (324) abled- bodied children in the 1st District of Malabon. The significant findings of the study are: The teachers and administrators significantly manage to develop the interpersonal relationships between the differently abled and abled-bodied grade 1 pupils, the respondents’ perceptions vary as to the promotion of welfare of the differently abled but mentally capable children. Most of them failed to perform the undertakings stated in the questionnaire that are significant in accomplishing the said tasks. As perceived from the result of the questionnaire, school and district coordinators failed to initiate programs, facilitate evaluation of staff development activities, need to attend more training and seminars that would make them equipped and abreast of the current trends and issues of the SPED programs and to provide more effective solutions in case of violations of the right of differently abled children. In the view of pedagogical qualifications of teachers, based on the result, it was found out that the teachers as well as the school and district coordinators need to be equipped and to have formal training on how to handle the said children. Furthermore, the significant findings from the view of the abled-bodied children in perceiving differently abled classmates, they accept, respect and they consider them as their friends. Though based from the result of the questionnaire, he differently abled but mentally capable children claimed that they encountered bullying. Lastly, the respondents recommended different programs that would strengthened the interpersonal relationships of differently abled but mentally capable children.