SOCIO-EMOTIONAL SKILLS OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN WITH LEARNING PROBLEMS

Socio-emotional skills play a crucial role in children's development, serving as the foundation for their ability to interact with others, manage emotions, and navigate various social environments. Developing these skills presents unique challenges for children with special needs, particularly those with learning problems. Children with learning difficulties often face barriers in understanding and expressing emotions, forming relationships, and responding appropriately in social situations. This can affect their academic performance, relationships with peers and educators, and overall well-being. This study aims to identify the level of socio-emotional skills among Children with Special Needs (S.N.C.). To answer the research questions, this study used a quantitative approach that was analyzed using S.P.S.S., which refers to descriptive and inferential analysis. The research design used was a survey. This study used a questionnaire as the main instrument in collecting research data. According to Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) sample size formula, the total sample size based on an estimated Population of 200 people in the T20 group was 127 sample, a Population of 400 in the M40 group was 196 people, and a Population of 1000 in the B40 group was 278 people making the total the sample size was 601. The study findings showed that the level of socio-emotional skills among children with special needs and learning disabilities was high (mean=4.574). A detailed analysis of each aspect of the socio-emotional skills of students with learning disabilities showed that all aspects of socio-emotional skills were self-awareness (mean=4.592), self-management (mean=4.544), social awareness (mean=4.548), relationship skills (mean=4.643), and making responsible decisions (mean=4.544) were at a high level. Inferential analysis showed no significant difference in socio-emotional skills among children with special needs based on family economic status with Wilks' λ = 0.986, F=5.522 and p=0.238 (p>0.05). This study showed that supportive interventions from local education and health systems played an important role in ensuring equal opportunities for all S.N.C.s, promoting their socio-emotional growth regardless of their family's economic background.