1) Interning through The Learning Spectrum with autistic children gave me many opportunities to grow within myself and my future career path. At the school I aided in teaching math classes in small groups, looked after the children when they had independent time, interacted with them on assignments, read to the children, and helped put together lesson plans with the classroom teacher.
2)I learned a great deal about myself through interacting with autistic children each week I interned. Not only did I learn about how each of the children function in day to day life, they taught me things I did not know about myself. These children proved my assumptions wrong and changed the way I view the world. Before coming to TLS, I assumed all autistic children barely spoke and underestimated their basic knowledge. In interacting with these first and second graders (the classroom I was assigned), I learned my assumptions to be very inaccurate.
With each activity I completed with the students, whether it be learning addition or reading a book to them, I quickly learned how much each child was capable of. Every single child in my classroom was very vocal, which was something I was not familiar with regarding autistic children. In proving me wrong, my view of the world drastically changed. I now see how each child has an unlimited capability of what they can learn, no matter the disability. I never doubted what each child could accomplish, however what they showed me as an intern was life-changing. The transformation within myself happened over the entire course of my internship, with the ability to gain more insight after each visit to TLS.
3) Through the duration of my internship, I encountered difficult interactions, formed many relationships, and participated in several activities. When first arriving to TLS, I was not sure what to expect, as I had never worked so closely with autistic children. When a child would have a meltdown because something did not go their way, or a child would eat sand, glue, or cut their hair, I was met with difficult decisions on how to approach the situation in a professional manner. I quickly learned I needed to work with each child individually because each child had different needs.
One child for example was more ahead in our math class than the others. I sat down with him and we worked on the next lesson together. There were other situations where it was the opposite, and I would work with the group of students who were struggling a little more. A second event that aided in changing my view of the world is how hard each child works. Though the children were educationally delayed, this did not stop them in achieving all they did. Seeing how hard they worked and the determination they endured in the most difficult times truly opened my eyes in a way they never have been before. Something that seems so simple like being asked to sit and listen to a book was a challenge for the kids. Sometimes they would run out of the classroom, and I would have to run after them and bring them back. When the child did calm down and focus, they did with such enthusiasm and care. These events helped shape my view to this day in the fact I gained a tremendous amount of patience and understanding. Working with mentally disabled children taught me a lot about how they learn in a classroom environment as well as how they interact with others. I now know each child is different in their own unique ways and aiding each child requires different techniques to meet their individual needs.
Along the way, I developed many relationships with teachers and the children. In working alongside my classroom teacher and classroom aid, I learned a lot in regards to strategies when helping the children. I learned how to speak to the children, address problems and ways to fix them, and developed the ability to ask the teachers questions about the kids. If I did not know how to approach a child’s behavior or had a general question about why they are working on a particular task, I gained the confidence and ability to form questions. These relationships developed each time I met with the teachers and continued to grow strong throughout the internship. I felt very welcomed by the classroom teachers and received answers to the many questions I had. The relationships I formed with the teachers allowed me to feel at ease and ultimately allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge that shapes my view of society today. I see how many individuals are out there actively trying to teach mentally disabled children. It is obvious to me how many people truly care for these kids and their futures.
4) This transformation I endured is beyond valuable to my life. Not only did I learn a great deal for future careers and my professional goals of working with disability, I developed my personal future as well. As a person, I have always been intrigued with helping others and it is a constant life-long goal of mine to help disabled people get to the future they ultimately desire. Without this positive change and experience in my life, I would not have the skills I do now. I now know how to professionally engage in conversations with persons of authority, I can interact with disabled children, learn more about myself in the process, and decide if this is a future career path I want to continue with. I can confidently say after this internship, I do want to continue in this career direction of learning about disabled persons and teach them how to better help themselves.