Personal Narrative: My Clinical Experiences

Week six was another amazing week that brought new experiences to my plate. On Wednesday evening, my clinical instructor and I ran Sr. Barn Buddies. This is a group of six teenagers that have autism. These individuals are great, but need help with appropriate social interactions and some personal care. Four boys and two girls attend the one and a half hour session every Wednesday evening. I was not really sure how to feel about doing this session because some of them can have behaviors and they are twice my size. These kids were awesome! They each seem to be somewhere different on the spectrum and all have something to offer to one another. These kids need help with socializing with each other, when they are at school or in the community. We worked on a project together, making sail boats that we could have a discussion about. If one of them needed help with part of it, they had to ask nicely. They could ask Duane or myself for help or ask one another for help. It was pretty neat to see them ask questions, offer advice and for myself to witness the positive interaction throughout the evening.
They could decorate the boat any way that they wanted and when they were finished, we would race them. We walked to the woods and let them go in the creek. The excitement was so cool. They created a boat and they all floated! To see their expressions was priceless. The evening was a good learning experience for me. These kids were looking to us for approval, for help and support. This is the one place they can come and always be treated like they are normal kids. We do things a little different with them, but we do not treat them like they have a disability. I think that is the key to being successful with autistic