"My puzzle came together": How I worked with children with autism
April is the month of disseminating information about autism. This feature manifests itself in different ways, and speaking about it, often use the long concept of "autism spectrum disorder", implying a variety of forms. The diagnosis can only be made by a specialist, but the feature can often be recognized already in childhood: signals can be problems in communication and social adaptation, involuntary repetitive actions, avoidance of eye contact. General information about the signs of autism is important to know to everyone: according to statistics, 1 out of 68 children are born with it. The sooner the child discovers this feature of development and begins to engage with it, the higher his chances for a rich socialization in the future.
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working with children with autism I was literally led by new shoes - and in part a cinema. Anticipating that the loafers bought the day before would probably rub, on the way to work I went to the pharmacy to get a plaster. There was a foreigner in the queue with me, we started talking and it turned out that she works with children with autism. Autism
I began to be interested four years ago, after I watched Lyubov Arkus’s film “Anton Here Next” - I wondered how such people were taught. I have a pedagogical education, but I knew nothing about it at all.
My new acquaintance Sarah turned out to be a certified behavioral analyst, told me a little about the method on which the training was based — applied behavioral analysis — and advised me to contact the White Crow center with which I had collaborated in Moscow. I wanted to become a volunteer, but there was no such opportunity - the center turned out to be commercial. At about the same time, I watched the film “The Walk” of Avdotya Smirnova - at that time I did not know that she was the president of the “Coming Out” Foundation. Soon, Avdotya advised me to the same White Crow center at a lecture on autism. The symbol of autism is a puzzle: I had a feeling that my personal puzzle had formed, and I understood which direction to go.
The symbol of autism is a puzzle: I had a feeling that my personal puzzle had formed, and I understood which direction to go.
The head of the center, Anna, offered me several options: I could undergo training before working, or else do it in parallel, when I got to school with an inclusive program. I was not ready for the second one, although I was thinking about a change of activity: by that time I had worked in an international company for two years and realized that the office is not mine. At the same time, teaching and volunteering brought me much more moral satisfaction than the next completed project, - so I signed up for the course.
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The learning curve is based on ABA (applied behavior analysis) - applied behavior analysis. ABA therapy is a scientific technique used in teaching people with autism. Its effectiveness is confirmed by the results of research, although some experts are skeptical about it. ABA therapy is based on an analysis of the reasons for this.
or other behavior. It is used in different areas, but most of all it is known for teaching people with autism. White Crow is not the only center where ABA-therapy can be learned. Certified behavioral analyst Julia Erts also conducts ABA trainings; methodology is taught in the center "Our Solar World", as well as in the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis.
The brain of children with autism works differently. Because of this, they may have difficulties with social, communicative and other skills and abilities - or it may not be very interesting for them to work on them. In order to teach children the necessary, ABA-specialists motivate them with what they are interested in. The learning process must be successful for the child: in pedagogy, this principle is called creating a “situation of success”. The teacher should organize the learning process so that, firstly, the child has an interest to learn something new; secondly, that the child himself did the work to learn this; and, thirdly, the teacher must recognize the importance of reaching the child and his independent work — praise him, give a high mark.
The phrase “If you know one person with autism, then you know one person with autism” is popular among those who work with people with autism.
ABA therapy uses the same principle, only takes into account the characteristics of children with autism. Their skills of social adaptation are often violated, and social encouragement for them, as a rule, means little - therefore, when performing tasks in ABA-therapy, the child is motivated primarily by what he likes: toys or favorite snacks. The tutor encourages the child and praises him so that social encouragement will become significant for him. Among those who work with people with autism, the phrase “If you know one person with autism, then you know one person with autism” is popular. This is true: autism manifests itself in different ways, so you need to carefully prepare for each lesson with each child: carefully study the program, note that the child likes and motivates. The emergence of a new person - stress for the ward, and this also needs to be taken into account.
Classes are held on an individual program. First, the child is tested to find out what he already knows and what he will need to be taught in the course of therapy. The opinion of parents is also important - what, in their opinion, should educate the child. For example, if a child at nine cannot serve himself and does not know how to divide fractions, then he will first be taught the skills of self-service. The curator draws up a program in which he indicates suitable exercises, a sequence of actions and a method of work - the instructor (tutor) will work with her on the child. Parents should also follow the recommendations of the program. Supervision is carried out periodically: the curator monitors the course of the lesson, tells the tutor what needs to be improved, and analyzes whether the program needs to be updated.
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She was pleased that this profession was chosen by both women and men. Part of ABA specialists are parents who have learned the technique to help their children, and then continue to work in this area. We must pay tribute to them: they did not give up and looked for an opportunity to improve the lives of their children, namely their
efforts ABA therapy finally appeared in Russia. On the other hand, it helps to realize the scale of the problem in Russian society. Imagine: your loved one needs help, but first you are misled by a wrong diagnosis, and then you have to master a new profession yourself, because there is no one to help. Many parents had to go about this way a few years ago, when instead of autism children were diagnosed with schizophrenia: there was a catastrophic lack of qualified specialists. There were about ten people in my group: parents of children with autism, those who received education to work in inclusive classes, and those who planned to work as a tutor in the center. The two-week course included theoretical online lessons and practical exercises on weekends. In online lessons we studied terminology, watched video lectures, analyzed case studies and tests.
Imagine, your loved one needs help, but first you are misled by the wrong diagnosis, and then you have to learn a new profession - because there is no one else to help
Pedagogical education, of course, helped me: for example, knowledge of behaviorism, on which, in fact, applied behavioral analysis was based, made it possible to understand the mechanisms of ABA therapy. I don’t think that pedagogy is absolutely necessary when studying ABA, but I’m sure that knowledge of general and age psychology, pedagogy and teaching methods allowed for a deeper understanding of therapy methods. Free English is what really matters if you want to become a good specialist. Applied behavioral analysis originated in the United States more than fifty years ago, during which time a lot of literature and scientific research appeared, but in order to understand them, you need to know the language. In Russia, this technique has become known recently: the Exit Foundation has translated several books, and articles and documents appear mainly through the efforts of ABA-community activists and charitable foundations. Until now, there is no single standard for Russian-language terms: for example, a specialist working with an autistic child using the ABA method can be called an instructor, therapist, therapist, or tutor.
Thanks to fluent English and a pedagogical education base, the theoretical part of the course was easy for me. But the practical one — various exercises and the rules for conducting them — had to be studied from scratch. It was not so difficult as new. During the exercise of each exercise, the instructor should immediately write the results in a special table — in this case, it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently fast pace so that the child does not lose interest. Writing a task and, if necessary, a hint, to trace how the child performs it, encourage it, immediately write the result in a table, and then move on to another task without slowing down the pace - this is real multitasking. In addition, each action must be carried out according to the rules: for example, there are nine types of prompts that fall into two categories, and you must know which one you need to apply in a particular situation. We practiced exercises with each other and discussed mistakes. At the end of the course you had to pass exams.
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After I passed the exam and received an ABA-Tutor certificate, I signed a combination agreement with the center. Before starting classes at the center, it was necessary to have an internship: to attend the lessons of more experienced instructors, after receiving permission from the parents of the child. I started working with a minimum
load: dealt with one ward. It turned out that I worked seven days a week: in the office on weekdays and with a child on weekends. It sounds paradoxical, but while working, I rested - all compensated for positive emotions. I worked in such a schedule, because I knew why I was doing this: I wanted to know if I would like the work of an ABA instructor.
I think that everyone who works with people with autism starts talking more about autism with others. Friends and relatives reacted differently to my work: some approved it, others regretted it beforehand. But it was most unpleasant to encounter the stereotype that someone was “guilty” of the fact that the child had autism.
Many of the most everyday, familiar to us phenomena - the sound of the doorbell, bright light, touch - for a person with autism can be a very strong stress and cause almost physical pain.
Perhaps the most difficult thing was to realize that people with autism perceive the world differently. Many of the most everyday, familiar to us phenomena - the sound of a doorbell, a bright light, touch - for a person with autism can be very stressful and cause almost physical pain. At the beginning of my work, it was sometimes difficult for me to understand why a child suddenly started crying or screaming. Supervision helped to overcome this: the curator suggested that it was necessary to improve. It helped to learn to be more attentive and in time to prevent sensory overload in a child.
In ABA therapy, it is important not only to teach the child, but also that the time he spends with the instructor is joyful. To do this, follow what children like, be aware of interesting games. When I saw a child having fun from another game discovery, it filled me with absolute happiness. In working with children with autism, every achievement is especially valuable: a look in the eyes, a request to play, smile, laugh, such daily actions are the victory of the whole team - the child, parents, supervisor and tutor. Yes, in this work, as in any other, there are difficulties, but supervisions help to overcome them. The feeling that when a child with whom I worked first made eye contact with me, looked into my eyes, it is impossible to describe. Successes, even the smallest ones, are important steps of the child towards socialization, and I felt pride and happiness from having invested in this part of myself.
The circumstances were such that I was to relocate, and had to resign from both jobs. It was especially sad to leave the center: although I worked there for only a few months, it was a very valuable experience for me. I realized that I want to work in education. In addition to AVA, I would like to learn other methods of teaching people with special needs. Now I live in the USA, and there is a huge amount of funds, institutions and organizations involved in autism research. I submitted an application to one of them in order to participate as a volunteer in a research project, and while I am waiting for an answer. I would like to teach at the university a variety of people, among whom would be people with special needs. I have not yet decided on the subject - perhaps, this will require another pair of new shoes.
Photo: Andrey Kuzmin - stock.adobe.com (1, 2), satura_ - stock.adobe.com
