For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the childhood period can be challenging because they face significant difficulties in maintaining concentration, which affects their learning process.
“ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that disrupts an individual’s ability to concentrate, act impulsively, and control body movements,” said Umar Abdul Aziz Susilo Rahmad Wibowo on Monday (October 23).
The number of children with ADHD continues to increase over time. Statistical data in Indonesia shows that the population of school-age children with ADHD has reached 15 percent, up from 2-4 percent in previous years, indicating that 1 in 20 children now has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Umar Wibowo explained that, given this situation, he and other UGM students formed a team to innovate and create a new intervention media called Dakdokkonkan to address the issues of children with ADHD.
Syafira Dyah Setyowati, Najla Ega Amalia, Sayyida Nafisa Fairoza (Psychology 2021), Regan Alim Tsaqif, and Umar Abdul Aziz Susilo Rahmad Wibowo (Psychology 2022) initiated the creation of the Dakdokkonkan game, with guidance from Dr. Elga Andriana, as their supervising lecturer.
They modified the traditional dakon game (Southeast Asian mancala) to create Dakdokkonkan as a media intervention tool for children with ADHD.
“Two or more players play the Dakdokkonkan game with different strategies and rules than traditional dakon. It includes a storyline that each player must listen to in order to continue the game,” said Wibowo.
He explained that this game consists of four different stories. Using stories in the intervention can trigger and stimulate concentration because children with ADHD are more likely to listen and follow the story’s plot. Additionally, Dakdokkonkan features attractive colors and images.
According to Syafira Setyowati, a game with various shapes and colors can enhance three aspects of development: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and cognitive skills.
Therefore, through the components of this game, the behavior of children with ADHD based on their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills can be analyzed to assess changes in concentration during the intervention.
“Dakdokkonkan emerges as an engaging and effective play therapy to enhance the concentration of children with ADHD,” she explained.
Najla Amalia added that this modified traditional game can potentially improve the quality of life for children with ADHD.
Furthermore, it can introduce and preserve Indonesian cultural heritage through traditional games. This game is expected to provide better attention and support to children with ADHD in the learning process.
“I believe this opens up opportunities for developing more enjoyable and effective therapeutic methods for children with ADHD,” Amalia added.
Author: Agung Nugroho