April is Autism awareness month
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- Sect
- Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
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- Location: Fullerton, CA
April is Autism awareness month
Hello all,
I see that a lot of people supporting certain causes and I thought to myself, "What cause or interest do I want to champion for?"
Then I realized, what better cause to get behind than one that I am personally connected with.
I work with children with Autism. I service families in the East Los Angeles and San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Centers. Currently my caseload consists of 7 bright and energetic children. I provide direct service and also supervision for the staff that work with these children.
Currently there is no cure for Autism. At best, behavior modification and other intervention methods can assist the children and their families in teaching skills so that they can live as close to an independant, fulfilling life as possible. What makes it even more difficult is that the etiology of this disorder remains unknown.
Come join me in the fight for a cure for Autism. If you are interested there are walks scheduled throughout the month of April. Come out and learn a bit about this devastating disorder and show your support for a cure.
Although I have worked with Autistic children for nearly 4 years, this is the first time I have done something like this. I regret that I do not have the time or the resources to put something up for auction that would garner more support. Hopefully next year I will be better prepared.
I just wanted to bring some awareness to you guys
If you would like to contribute, I am walking on April 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
Here is a link if you would like to donate
http://www.walknow.org/06lawk/ph
I see that a lot of people supporting certain causes and I thought to myself, "What cause or interest do I want to champion for?"
Then I realized, what better cause to get behind than one that I am personally connected with.
I work with children with Autism. I service families in the East Los Angeles and San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Centers. Currently my caseload consists of 7 bright and energetic children. I provide direct service and also supervision for the staff that work with these children.
Currently there is no cure for Autism. At best, behavior modification and other intervention methods can assist the children and their families in teaching skills so that they can live as close to an independant, fulfilling life as possible. What makes it even more difficult is that the etiology of this disorder remains unknown.
Come join me in the fight for a cure for Autism. If you are interested there are walks scheduled throughout the month of April. Come out and learn a bit about this devastating disorder and show your support for a cure.
Although I have worked with Autistic children for nearly 4 years, this is the first time I have done something like this. I regret that I do not have the time or the resources to put something up for auction that would garner more support. Hopefully next year I will be better prepared.
I just wanted to bring some awareness to you guys
If you would like to contribute, I am walking on April 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
Here is a link if you would like to donate
http://www.walknow.org/06lawk/ph
- Sect
- Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
- Posts: 499
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 12:20:01 pm
- Location: Fullerton, CA
Sure, I'll give you a bit of synopsis with each one, it is kind of hard for me to describe them w/o using names but due to confidentiality I will make up a fake name for them.
A) I have worked with "John" since I first started in 2002. He is 7 years old and is incredibly bright and energetic. He loves to play with playdoh, watch TV, swim, and go on outings. Right now, he just joined a baseball league for children with disabilities, and he looks extremely cute in his uniform.
He is considered low functioning and when I first started with him he had a lot of hand flapping, head banging and tantrums. Over the years he has learned not to head bang and hand flap, though he still tantrums a bit. He is nonverbal, but as I stated earlier he is incredibly bright and can type out his responses on the keyboard as well as requests needs and wants. He is a strong visual learner though he needs a lot of gross and fine motor help. Right now due to his age, my main goal for him is to increase his communication and to improve his life skills or self-help repitoire.
My fonest memory of him is watching him ride his tricycle for the first time. When we got it for him, he could not ride it since he did not understand the concept. We had to sit him down and literally push each foot down on the pedal....so if you can imagine, we are bent over, walking backwards, puching each leg down on the pedal. It was tough, and it made it harder that he wasn't paying attention.. Well after a few months, all of a sudden he started riding on his own and he had the biggest smile on his face. That was incredibly reinforcing to myself and to the team
B) John's 6 year old younger sister is also diagnosed with Autism. "Jane" is an incredibly cute and adorable girl. In a lot of ways she is higher functioning than her brother. She loves the color red so the house is filled with red objects. She likes Elmo and Po (and they happen to be red too). I think she has about 20 different Elmo dolls varying in size. =)
She can speak but she does exhibit some echolalia (repeats your words) and she is incredibly artistic as she loves to color and paint. She also loves music and is either is banging the drums or xylephone or dancing. Best way to describe her, she is a diva.
She is verbal so with her we are working on trying to get her to use her words functionally. She isn't as compliant as her brother but when she does work she is increibly bright and catches on fast. She has made vast improvements in the last 6 months mostly due to the hard work of the staff. I don't work with her directly but I supervise the staff and they have bonded with her very well. Previously she was tantruming (high pitched screams) a lot but it seems like the staff has really developed rapport with her and all of those behaviors have drastically decreased.
It's funny because if you observe them, they are so different and it seems like they have reversed their roles. "John" is more of an indoors person and would rather chill at home watching TV. His sister on the other hand is like a little boy, she is always running around barefoot, playing in the dirt and with her cars and trucks.
A) I have worked with "John" since I first started in 2002. He is 7 years old and is incredibly bright and energetic. He loves to play with playdoh, watch TV, swim, and go on outings. Right now, he just joined a baseball league for children with disabilities, and he looks extremely cute in his uniform.
He is considered low functioning and when I first started with him he had a lot of hand flapping, head banging and tantrums. Over the years he has learned not to head bang and hand flap, though he still tantrums a bit. He is nonverbal, but as I stated earlier he is incredibly bright and can type out his responses on the keyboard as well as requests needs and wants. He is a strong visual learner though he needs a lot of gross and fine motor help. Right now due to his age, my main goal for him is to increase his communication and to improve his life skills or self-help repitoire.
My fonest memory of him is watching him ride his tricycle for the first time. When we got it for him, he could not ride it since he did not understand the concept. We had to sit him down and literally push each foot down on the pedal....so if you can imagine, we are bent over, walking backwards, puching each leg down on the pedal. It was tough, and it made it harder that he wasn't paying attention.. Well after a few months, all of a sudden he started riding on his own and he had the biggest smile on his face. That was incredibly reinforcing to myself and to the team
B) John's 6 year old younger sister is also diagnosed with Autism. "Jane" is an incredibly cute and adorable girl. In a lot of ways she is higher functioning than her brother. She loves the color red so the house is filled with red objects. She likes Elmo and Po (and they happen to be red too). I think she has about 20 different Elmo dolls varying in size. =)
She can speak but she does exhibit some echolalia (repeats your words) and she is incredibly artistic as she loves to color and paint. She also loves music and is either is banging the drums or xylephone or dancing. Best way to describe her, she is a diva.
She is verbal so with her we are working on trying to get her to use her words functionally. She isn't as compliant as her brother but when she does work she is increibly bright and catches on fast. She has made vast improvements in the last 6 months mostly due to the hard work of the staff. I don't work with her directly but I supervise the staff and they have bonded with her very well. Previously she was tantruming (high pitched screams) a lot but it seems like the staff has really developed rapport with her and all of those behaviors have drastically decreased.
It's funny because if you observe them, they are so different and it seems like they have reversed their roles. "John" is more of an indoors person and would rather chill at home watching TV. His sister on the other hand is like a little boy, she is always running around barefoot, playing in the dirt and with her cars and trucks.
- Sect
- Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
- Posts: 499
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 12:20:01 pm
- Location: Fullerton, CA
C) "James" is my youngest and newest client. He is just a little over 3 years old and is probably my brighest one yet. The mom is very young and overwhelmed and was extremely excited to get services. We have been doing discrete trial (ABA) for the last month. At first, he cried a lot sicne he was not used to receiving intensive therapy but after 3 weeks he has settled down and now works very well.
I'm still trying to figure out what are his likes but it appears that he likes to go outside for walks, jump on the trampoline, and play in the sand/dirt. =) He is verbal and does have some echolalia and he catches on quick. He is a strong visual learner and unlike many children with Autism he has good attention and sustained attention skills. He can do 6 block imitaion and 4 step non verbal imitation, this is incredible (for reference most children that I have worked with have difficulty at 2 step)! He is very lovable and I'm just enjoying my time getting to know him better.
D) "Johnny" (sorry running out ideas for names) is another smart child. He is 5 years old and is very bright and high functioning. We have nicknamed him "stich" because he has big eyes and big puffy cheecks and kinda looks like the disney character. He loves to play with his brother and sister, play with pokemon, and any other games with other people. He is a bit of a challenge for me since he is so smart, I really have to be on top of his programming or else he falls behind. He is verbal and is starting now to express abstract thoughts. As I mentioned he is bright and he catches on very qucik. WHat separates him from my other cases is that he has the ability to do pretend play. He will play doctor or with his McDonalds play set and will ask for his brother to join him. Although academically smart, he has some behaviors, mostly attention seeking and some agressive behaviors.
They just took him to an Easter Egg hunt this past weekend and he did very well looking for the eggs and was very cute holding his basket and running around on the field.
I'm still trying to figure out what are his likes but it appears that he likes to go outside for walks, jump on the trampoline, and play in the sand/dirt. =) He is verbal and does have some echolalia and he catches on quick. He is a strong visual learner and unlike many children with Autism he has good attention and sustained attention skills. He can do 6 block imitaion and 4 step non verbal imitation, this is incredible (for reference most children that I have worked with have difficulty at 2 step)! He is very lovable and I'm just enjoying my time getting to know him better.
D) "Johnny" (sorry running out ideas for names) is another smart child. He is 5 years old and is very bright and high functioning. We have nicknamed him "stich" because he has big eyes and big puffy cheecks and kinda looks like the disney character. He loves to play with his brother and sister, play with pokemon, and any other games with other people. He is a bit of a challenge for me since he is so smart, I really have to be on top of his programming or else he falls behind. He is verbal and is starting now to express abstract thoughts. As I mentioned he is bright and he catches on very qucik. WHat separates him from my other cases is that he has the ability to do pretend play. He will play doctor or with his McDonalds play set and will ask for his brother to join him. Although academically smart, he has some behaviors, mostly attention seeking and some agressive behaviors.
They just took him to an Easter Egg hunt this past weekend and he did very well looking for the eggs and was very cute holding his basket and running around on the field.
- Sect
- Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
- Posts: 499
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 12:20:01 pm
- Location: Fullerton, CA
E) "Jenny" is my only other girl that I work with. We name her "jelly belly" because she is so adorable and squeezable. Her mom is always dressing her up in these cute girly outfits with pigtails. She is somewhat verbal but mostly makes sounds. She hasn't received too much therapy so we are just starting to progress with her programming. What really impresses me is how fast she has come to understand and accept the therapy. Most children who start therapy are resistant (and rightfully so) and they do not want to work with us. Usually there is behaviors and tantrums and they can last up to 4 weeks. For Jenny here, she was upset the first 2 sessions and then after that she quietly came to work for us!
She loves to interact with people and will requently come up to you to ask for a tickle or to play. She has one of the biggest smiles when she is having fun. Since she is new, I'm still trying to learn about her
F) "Mark" is the last active client that I have now. He is the oldest one I have at 8 years old. He has a beautiful 10 year old sister and a very supportive mom and dad. Mark is tall and thin, has big eyes, and a head fully of curly hair. Mom has recently shaved his head since they were having a hard time brushing his hair in the morning. He is high functioning and is verbal and can somewhat express abstract thoughts.
His programming is mostly life skills and increasing his communication. Due to his age we don't really do strick behavioral therapy, since is isn't very appropriate for him.
His first and foremost love is Barney. He is literally obsessed with Barney. He also likes other cartoon characters as well. Currently, I'm trying to get him off of the Barney or at least decrease the amount of time with it. Although I don't really have a problem with him having Barney, is isn't age appropriate and I don't want him to go out in the public with it and as a result ostracize himself from his peers or the community.
My fondest memory with his is playing Chicken Limbo. It is a limbo game with a chicken on the bar and if you move it, it clucks. He loves this game and we always play it and he has the biggest smile on his face when he is able to clear the bar.
These are the currently chidlren that I have, I have worked with a handful more and they have all been pleasurable experiences. At times, the parents can make it hard, but I always remind myself that they are in a difficult situation and that their intentions are always good. Every one of them is so unique and it has been a priviledge for me to be a part of their lives
She loves to interact with people and will requently come up to you to ask for a tickle or to play. She has one of the biggest smiles when she is having fun. Since she is new, I'm still trying to learn about her
F) "Mark" is the last active client that I have now. He is the oldest one I have at 8 years old. He has a beautiful 10 year old sister and a very supportive mom and dad. Mark is tall and thin, has big eyes, and a head fully of curly hair. Mom has recently shaved his head since they were having a hard time brushing his hair in the morning. He is high functioning and is verbal and can somewhat express abstract thoughts.
His programming is mostly life skills and increasing his communication. Due to his age we don't really do strick behavioral therapy, since is isn't very appropriate for him.
His first and foremost love is Barney. He is literally obsessed with Barney. He also likes other cartoon characters as well. Currently, I'm trying to get him off of the Barney or at least decrease the amount of time with it. Although I don't really have a problem with him having Barney, is isn't age appropriate and I don't want him to go out in the public with it and as a result ostracize himself from his peers or the community.
My fondest memory with his is playing Chicken Limbo. It is a limbo game with a chicken on the bar and if you move it, it clucks. He loves this game and we always play it and he has the biggest smile on his face when he is able to clear the bar.
These are the currently chidlren that I have, I have worked with a handful more and they have all been pleasurable experiences. At times, the parents can make it hard, but I always remind myself that they are in a difficult situation and that their intentions are always good. Every one of them is so unique and it has been a priviledge for me to be a part of their lives
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- Sect
- Is it Dee-no or Die-no? Dunno.
- Posts: 499
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 12:20:01 pm
- Location: Fullerton, CA
thanks myron. My supervisor (for another internship) always tells me that, but frankly, I'm not so sure. The actual therapy isn't too hard, but I suppose it does take a certain type of person. one that must have a lot of patience. Though, I don't think I can see some of my close friends doing the same job
Ibreakhorses, what do you do? do you work in a school setting?
Ibreakhorses, what do you do? do you work in a school setting?