Working Girl

I have totally neglected our blog lately. I have some great pictures I need to post so I will have to work on giving some updates in the coming weeks. One of the reasons I have been busy and forgetting to blog is that I started a new job at the end of January. I have been working with a boy who has autism for about 20 hours a week. Evan and I are friends with his parents and now I also work for them. Actually I am an employee of an agency that works with the family but that is a confusing and unimportant detail. The mom approached me about it when I had mentioned that since I did not work, if she ever needed any help with her kids, to let me know. Days before she called me I had actually been contemplating applying to be a substitute teacher or becoming a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club. I had finished setting up most of the house and was looking for something to do with my time.

The timing was perfect because a representative from the program they are using to rehabilitate their son was coming to their house for a few days to do some training. I was trained and have been working ever since! The name of the program they use called Son-Rise and it is an autism recovery program. The program goals are increasing eye-contact, communication, interactive attention span, and flexibility. Our "work" with him consists of playing games and activities that focus on these goals, all in a very child-centered environment. I am not the only person who works with him, there are three "play partners," including me, in addition to his parents. It has been a very rewarding yet challenging experience. I've enjoyed not only working one-on-one with their son, but also ministering to the entire family.

Just this week I started a new project for the family. I am taking a break from working one-on-one with their son to help organize all of the supplies they have for his program. It might not sound like much but it is a big project! They have basically been running a home school program for him for three years...so they have collected a few items. One of the other team members has worked on it numerous times in the past and has trashed/given away most of the supplies that were not being used. While I am working on weeding out more of what is not being used, my main goal is to organize everything so that they actually know what they have and can access it without having to dig through bins and piles of random supplies. I love organizing things so I am excited to help in a new way. Hopefully, by the time I am finished, not only will it only take a few minutes to locate and switch out activities used in the focus room each morning but the family will be able to get their laundry room and basement back!