THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A MULTISENSORY APPROACH IN IMPROVING OPEN SYLLABIC READING SKILLS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS STUDENTS (SENS)

Mastery of reading skills of SENS (learning) is at a weak level and needs to be paid attention to. This issue is due to the cognitive disabilities and behavioral problems of SENS (learning) that need to be managed and dealt with by teachers in each teaching and learning session (PDP) specifically in Malay reading skills. Therefore, this study was conducted to increase active participation in PDP and improve the reading skills of open syllables, consonants, and vowels (CV) in Malay by applying a multisensory approach in PDP. This study is an action study. The study respondents consisted of eight special educational needs students (SENS) in class P3. The students consisted of one student with global development delay (GDD), one student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and six students with intellectual disability (ID) recognized by medical experts. Data were collected through a pre-and post-test checklist conducted over eight four-week PDP sessions. The study’s findings show an increase in the development of open quarter reading at various levels during the study period. The implications of this study open up space for teachers to be more creative in applying a multisensory approach in PDP sessions to SENS for specific learning in improving Malay reading skills and also other subjects.