Okay so since Monday I have been heloing out with IntensABA!
What is it, you ask? Simple: a week of intensive therapy for autistic chuldren my mother and her colleagues organize every year. Being a new group, this is the second year, and I got to look a bit in the first one, but actually help out now.
It is adorable and I have a terrible headache.
There is this one kid who has an amazing memory, can be pretty picky about how stuff is lined up or not care at all depending, and most of all, when I introduced myself the first day, on the second one he remembered my name. And greeted me spontaneously. Like, seriously. Wow. Someone likes me.
So in the first two days I either acted as a social simulator in rare occasions, or mostly did stuff like getting materials and reinforcements in and out of child range, taking notes on the success of tries, etc. I mostly observed because if everythign goes according to plan I should start working with these children next year (more on this later). Today, though, I got to spend most of the time with the kid who remembered my name! He came up to me and asked me if I wanted to play, and from there on it was just lots and lots of games. I learned all the Cars 2 characters (he rememberd them all. ALL OF THEM. And he taught them to me xD), a couple of new games, both competition and collaboration ones, and most of all I got to act as a very, very basic therapist. Mostly giving out instructions (flip the tiles; put the game in its box), some language/interaction stuff (my turn, who is it, who won?), a little academics (what is written here, how many, which one is the bigger number) and doing some socializing (actually socializing was most of what I did) by playing, hiding stuff, trying to get him to talk...
So yeah, at one point his consultant entered and complimented me and sometimes later asked my mom if I wanted to take him in charge O.o
So I am very very proud, although my mother was quick to say no, both because he lives pretty far away and because "you need to relax this year and take school slowly", since uh... My sanity in school was not of the best (guess who gets panic attacks before tests) (also guess who broke down crying in at least three different lessons) (yeah, I need to take it slowly). But still, I think I might've liked actually working a bit with a child. Not necessarily him, but the sooner I start, the better. Anyway~ Will probably be next year.
Meanwhile, I still get to help out and be very proud of my accomplishments today.
Yay!
On other related news: one of these children refused to try and be clearer when talking, so the first day they introduced sign language in his program.
The second day he had one of them almost-independent and another one intraverbal (educator says "water", he signs water with no need of visual or physical prompt) (am I even translating this stuff correctly) (lots of parenthesis today, huh). But seriously, he is... Wow. Seriously wow. I am amazed.
