I have a passion for early childhood and have several areas that I have a very special passion for. However, after some deliberation I have chosen the topic of special needs/autism since this is a rising issue in many classrooms across the country and it is a special passion of mine.
Subtopics:
Ø Ways in which the community, family and school system can foster healthy development of children with autism.
Ø How the arts help children with autism development in positive and healthy ways?
Ø Positive and negative effects on relationships with siblings, family members, peers and teachers of children with autism.
I became a Head Start teacher in 2002 and during my first year as a teacher I had a child in my classroom that had been diagnosed with autism, needless to say this was quite a challenging year for me especially being a new teacher. I also had feelings of unpreparedness and feared I could not provide what he would need during this school year. However, with a lot of research I did on my own, support from my education manager and other experienced staff this child showed so much improvement during the eight months we spent together. This child went from not speaking to talking, interacting with peers and teachers and his whole academic status increased. After such a fearful beginning to the year it ended in a very rewarding and successful school year. Since this time I have had a passion for children with special needs, especially children with autism. I also have a close friend of mine whose child was diagnosed with autism and this also increased my passion to advocate for children of autism.
I chose the three subtopics because the community, family and school system has a huge influence on the outcome of children with autism and I feel that we all need to collaborate together and foster positive and healthy outcomes for these children. I also think that the arts have a huge positive influence over children with autism, for example, my best friend son’s who was diagnosed with autism has written two comic books and he is only 17 years old. I can remember looking back upon his early years around the age of four and five he was very creative and would put his thoughts on paper to create such creative creations. I have also seen the children in my class who was diagnosed with autism to be very creative and have artistic talent. I also chose to discuss how relationships influence with family members, peers, and teachers because of the lack of communication that these autistic children express.
I admire your passion for this subject. Before I became a toddler teacher, I worked in a home based family therapy program. One of my most challenging and rewarding clients I had the opportunity to work with was Autistic. He too was incredibly creative and very musically and lyrically talented. Through his creative talents I was able to communicate with him and help him through difficult periods and transitions.
ReplyDeleteI really look forward to reading more on your topic of focus.
Betty,
ReplyDeleteIt is a challenging task working with autistic children. However once the intervention is done early so that the child gets the needed resources a big difference should be expected. In my classroom we have one autistic child. She is smart but creates problems as well (LOL). We provide structure, and we know how to be firm but gentle.
We have seen great improvements in behaviors overall but we still look forward to more research for concrete evidence to further our knowledge into working with autistic children.
Thanks for your blog!
Betty,
ReplyDeleteI am excited about your topic, as I can relate to every word of what you wrote on the progress of the child with Autism. I see the same with a child in my classroom this school year. He came as a child who did not speak much, call every one mama,did not sit for meals, activities of group time. Now he speaks much better,sit through meals, activities and group time, interacts with peers and uses their names instead of calling them mama. He amaizes me everyday with this improving abilities and love and care that he shows to everyone. Thank you sharing this inspiration, wish you best of luck.
Hi Betty I feel the same way you felt on your first day of work because I want to make sure that Iam ready to teach the childrenwhen I go into the classroom. I Can tell you now that I am nervous because I want to take in everything and do well in my classes.
ReplyDelete