THANK YOU!!!!

I just want to take a moment to thank Professor McDevitt for helping me understand how to write short term goals and long term goals. And a huge thank you to my fellow classmates for giving me the courage to go forward with my plan. I am so grateful to have such wonderful support from everyone. This class has been the most difficult class by far that I've ever had to take. But everyone has been so helpful! I wish everyone the best of luck in their careers and the path they chose after Kendall College. THANK YOU!!!!!

Enlisting and providing support

Questions you have with which your colleagues may be able to provide help and support

I’m having a hard time making the goals SMART goals. Does anyone have any pointers on making sure I am stating the goals correctly?

Resources and information you are seeking

I am seeking information on other schools to see if they have parent support groups. It will be helpful to know how other schools went about it and how they got started.

         

Resources and/or information you have found helpful and insightful

There were several internet websites that I found extremely helpful. The one that provided the most information about children with autism was Autism Speaks. There was a lot of valuable information about advocacy and plenty of resources for teachers and parents. There were also articles on the website, that could be printed out for the parent’s, with useful information.

Personal Advocacy Journey

A quote that I find inspirational regarding the role that advocacy is, "Our lives will end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~Martin Luther King Jr. This quote is so powerful because it shows how important it is to have a voice.

What excites me the most about my advocacy plan is that I'm actually going to have an impact on many lives. I am looking forward to the day that I can put my plan into action and see the difference it makes. I never really imagined, before this class, that I would be standing up for something I feel so strongly about. I'm shy when it comes to public speaking and tend to back off when things bother me. But I've realized that one voice, my voice, can make a difference in these children's lives.

I'm a little nervous presenting my idea to my target audience. I want to be able to present my plan in a way that everyone understands. I am hoping that it is a strong and solid plan that everyone will be happy with. 

Strong support from people around me would help me overcome my fears. Some advice from my classmates and my mentor would also help me when I think about ways to present my plan and implement it. 

I would encourage my classmates by giving them advice and letting them know that they can do it if they put their heart and mind into it. I would let them know how important it is to stand up for what they believe. I would also let them know that it's not going to hurt anything by taking a stand, but it will only make things better. 

Internship 455 B1

Hello everyone!
Welcome to my blog for internship 455. This is the final stretch for me at Kendall. I am nervous, yet excited about this final class. The topic I chose in internship 450 is Autism. I work with children who have autism and I am very passionate about it. I am going to do my best in this class and hope everyone else does as well. Good luck everyone!

Thank You!!

The first thanks has to go out to Professor Sisie. I truly appreciate you as a teacher and mentor. You are a great person who gave us some valuable words of advice. I was nervous when I found out that I had to write a 17 page paper. I thought that there was no way that I could do that and I might fail the class. Boy was I wrong! With all of the help from you, Sisie, and everyone in the class, the paper was a breeze! I honestly don't think I could of done it without all of the kind words and pieces of advice from everyone. So because of this, I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone!!! I really appreciate it! Good luck to everyone and I hope to see you in internship 2.

Observing and Interacting With Families of the Children in Your Setting

I had a chance to talk to some parents during parent involvement day at school. I explained to them that I was writing a paper about autism. In addition, I was going to talk about the signs of autism, and different programs for children with autism. After talking to the parents, I was able to observe the children. The children were having a great time and seemed to really enjoy their parents being there. The school seems like it has a great program for children with autism and they seem to really make the parents feel welcome.

It was a great learning experience because I was able to talk to parents and observe the children at the same time. The parents shared many valuable insights about different programs that I can use in my paper. They also provided some great websites with several resources for me to look up.

One insight that I gained from a parent was the importance of early intervention. She said that the earlier a child with autism gets services the better. She also felt that the placement of her child into the proper school was very important. She researched all of the different options before the assessment of her child. She wanted to go into it prepared and knowing what to expect.

Another insight I gained was how important a good program is for children with autism. Certain programs could help improve language, communication, social interaction and behavior while also increasing academics, practical and play skills. The school I observed uses evidence-based methods of Applied Behavior Analysis that have proven effective for individuals on the autism spectrum. They provide socially-engaging programs with powerful teaching methods, custom-designed to enable each child to develop to his or her fullest potential.

Observing and Interacting With Program Director(s) and Other Administrative Staff in Your Setting

Over the past week, I wanted to focus all of my attention on the principal of the school I work at. She is a very valuable person to the IEP team and I was very interested to see her stance on the assessment process. When I first sat down with her, I explained that I am doing an advocacy plan for my internship class. I told her that my topic was autism and that my main focus was on the assessment and placement process. The questions I asked pertained to the assessment and placement of children with autism. I was very curious to hear her responses because I didn’t have any idea where she stood. After hearing her answers, I was pleasantly surprised. The first question I asked her was, “how do you feel about the assessment and placement process at the school?” Then I asked her if there was anything that she suggests to improve it, if it needed improving. She agreed with me, that the assessment isn’t thorough or long enough. Although I feel that the assessment process should be done at the school setting as well as the home setting, she disagreed. She felt that the children act completely different at their home setting and the team wouldn’t get accurate results. However, she did feel that the assessment should be done over multiple visits, and not just in one day/one hour. She even felt that one hour was too long for the child. She suggested that the assessment be done over 3 different visits on different days. She thought that about 30 minutes each visit would be fine. Another great suggestion she had was that the child should be observed with other children, if possible. If the IEP team was able to observe the child with at least one other child, then they could see their social and play skills. These two things are hard to see when the child is being observed alone.

 

I am very pleased with my interview this week because I gained so much knowledge from the principal. It was nice having the opportunity to talk to her and see her stance on certain things. I would have never known how she felt if I didn’t ask. I was honestly afraid to approach her with my topic because I wasn’t sure how she would react. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. One of the most important things I learned from this interview is that the child be assessed and placed based on their needs, and not their label. This is a great piece of advice that everyone on the team should know and follow.