Almost everyone these days has heard of Autism. You yourself may have a child on the spectrum, or you may know someone, a relative or friend who has someone with Autism in their family. Every child I have worked with that has autism has been unique in their own way. There continues to be lots of talk about what treatment is appropriate and successful with children with Autism. I have seen and heard all kinds of things over the years and worked in many different settings.
Applied Behavior Analysis, more commonly known as ABA therapy is where I have seen the most progress, and even the United States Surgeon General has endorsed intensive behavioral intervention for individuals with Autism. But I’m not interested in going into the symptoms and treatments. Instead, I am going to share what autism looks like to me and why I choose to teach with some of our most challenging children.
Being able to work with children with autism and other developmental disabilities has been a true blessing to me. The kids that I work with are just like any other child. They want to be played with, but don’t always have the words to play appropriately. They want to ask for a hug or to be tickled or chased but they can’t always tell us these things, so sometimes they request our attention in inappropriate ways. This does not mean they don’t want and need our love. It just means that we need to teach them how to ask for the things they need.
Verbal Behavior teaches communication while using ABA principles. It motivates children to learn language. The children learn how to use language to communicate needs. This allows me to be a part of many children’s’ first words. Most parents can remember the joy of hearing those first words spoken from your child. For many, it was “mama” or “dada” or in my case “elmo.”
I get to share that special moment with many families as I work with these beautiful children and teach them how to appropriately communicate their needs. For some, it is with their voice, whether speaking whole words or making approximations but for others, it may be through signing. I get to see children make the connection of when I do this (sign candy) I get that (candy). My students learn that words help them attain what they want.
These incredible children do not always understand that a delay of something they want does not mean they will not ever get it. Waiting can be very hard for kids, but even more so for children with Autism. It can cause moments of tantrums that are opportunities for learning how to wait nicely.
Accepting that something is not available can be very difficult accept as well. As with any of us not getting what we want can be upsetting, but most of us handle disappointments in proper ways. I get to be a part of teaching some children self-calming and coping techniques so that they can relax when frustrated and accept any distresses that they may face.
Seeing the progress they make is so rewarding and my colleagues and I are constantly celebrating things that may seem insignificant to others, but are milestones to us. We know that each little step gets us closer to our goals and makes our students more independent. These children work so hard to learn things that most children learn from their environment and they work so hard to be able to do things that so many of us take for granted.
Working with all of the children that I have been able to work with over the years has taught me lessons in compassion and patience. I am rewarded by seeing a child’s problem behaviors decrease as their skill sets increase. I know that not only is it benefiting the happiness and quality of life of the child, but affects the family as a whole as well. Although some days are tougher than others, these children and families have taught me more than I could ever teach them.
About the Author
Alison has worked with special needs students for the past 15 years. She and her son, Will (11), moved to Jacksonville seven years ago from the Miami area. It was then that she found The Jericho School which was just the teaching environment she had been looking for. She currently is an ABA instructor for The Jericho School during the school year and during the summer months teaches private swimming lessons to children 6 months and up. Being a single mom, she stays very busy between the two jobs and raising an active boy. In their free time they are always on an adventure with camping trips, bike rides, trips to the beach, movie nights, and any other activities you can think of.
Id like to get her contact info for swimming lessons for my son who has autism.