Acceptance Programs for Parents with Down Syndrome Children

Parental acceptance problems of children with Down syndrome will have an impact on psychological, children's achievement in school, and children's independence. This study aims to formulate an acceptance program for parents who have children with Down syndrome. The research subjects were three parents who had children with Down syndrome. Observations, interviews and documentation are used to explore data relating to the objective conditions of parental acceptance and the efforts that have been made by schools to increase parental acceptance. The results of the data analysis showed that the acceptance of three parent subjects was still in the second phase stage where there were still feelings of contradiction, feeling guilty, angry, embarrassed and feeling humiliated, as well as confusion in caring for children. The acceptance program for parents who have Down syndrome children contains four aspects that are mixed from the factors that influence reception, namely: knowledge support, religious support, emotional support, and social support. Program suitability with parental needs and paying attention to the principle of flexibility will direct parents to accept the condition of their child who has down syndrome.