THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN AND THE SOCIAL INTERACTION OF AUTISTIC CHILDERN IN SLB N SURAKARTA

<p>This study aims to determine the correlations between parental social support for children with autism and the social interaction of children with autism at SLB N Surakarta. This research is a correlational quantitative study. The subjects of the research were 31 parents who have children aged 7-20 years. The sampling technique used was non-probability sampling with purposive sampling. Data collection technique using Likert scale instruments, consisting of a social support instrument and a social interaction instrument. The social support questionnaire used was a based on the theory of Wangi & Budisetyani (2020), which has 4 aspects and was developed into 40 statement items. The reliability test of the instrument used Cronbach’s Alpha, yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.837. The social interaction questionnaire based on the theory of Syahrial Syarbaini and Rudiyanta (as cited in Setyawan, 2016), which has 2 aspects and was developed into 40 statement items. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test on the social interaction instrument yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.905. The research results were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation test, yielding a calculated r-value of 0.618, with a significance level of p (0.000) < p (0.05), which means H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a strong correlation between parental social support for children with autism and the social interaction of children with autism.</p>