December Extra Blog Post

I can honestly say I have not done much to contribute for my project over the break since the kids at the day care I volunteer at are on break and I can not see Sergio outside of school. Although I have gone to the library and looked for books on children with autism. I will continue to do more of my research and I will be returning to the day care when the break is over.

An Autistic Child Named Sergio

These past few months that I have been going to the day care, I have learned a lot about Sergio and his behavior. Everyday is a long day for him; he is at school for 5 hours and it affects his mood. He has become more grumpy and quite violent. Two weeks ago, he bit his teachers and everything got out of control. I know he does not mean to harm anyone and he only gets that way temporarily. Overall, he is a very polite and playful child. It kind of upsets me although that the kids push him aside because he's strange sometimes and refuses to play with them. I think they should try and make him feel more involved and that being involved is good. I know sometimes my mentor gets frustrated and it is a very difficult job; but I admire her patience and acceptance. Sergio is such a bright child and he really tries; I know it is hard to deal with his attitude sometimes but I believe it will all be worth it. This early intervention he is getting will benefit him in the long run. I'm not saying it will cure his autism because there is no cure; but it will improve his social and cognitive skills. Sadly, I could not provide a picture of Sergio to post because quite frankly that is illegal if not approved by the administration.

Blog 10: EQ

1. I reviewed the rule of three for my Essential Question.

2. What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
I personally believe that this essential question meets the rule of three standards. There could be various answers to the question which is good and it definitely is not just black and white.

    What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
I believe this does not really meet the standards and I did not understand the question it was very confusing.

    How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
This essential question meets the rule of three because it is very specific and there can be a lot of information and different answers on this topic.

3. Draft EQ:

What is the best way to help an autistic child develop better social skills that will benefit them in the future?

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 1 Presentation and why?

 I'm most proud that I did not stutter as much as I normally do. I was prepared with all my information but since I was nervous I would glance over my paper a lot for no reason. 

2. Questions to Consider

       a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 1 Presentation (self-assessment)?

     AE       P          AP       CR       NC

       b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 1 component contract.

 I think I deserve a "P" because I did everything that was on the rubric and I think I made time.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 1?

 What worked for me was that I used good life examples since I personally know people that have autism.

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 1?

I would try not to glance over my paper as much and be less tense. 

Temple Gradin: An Inspiration To The World

Temple Grandin is the face of autism and an inspiration to those diagnosed with it. She was an advocate for autistic populations and was also a great writer. In 2010, HBO released an Emmy Award winning film on Grandin's life and how she dealt with autism. As a high-functioning autistic person, Gradin was able to make sense and articulate her unusual life experiences with rare depth. She described her sensitivity to loud noises and and her difficulty socializing with others. She was a visual thinker who considered verbal communication to be a secondary skill. She has taken strong positions on autism and education of autistic children creating many different early interventions a teacher or parent can do to help the child.

Blog 8 - Research and Working EQ

1. My working EQ is how can you help a child with autism communicate better with others?
2. What is a possible answer to your working EQ? 

EQ: How can you help a child with autism communicate better with others?

• Social activities could be formed or group activities so the child can be more engaged with his/her peers.
• Reading social stories about daily routines of everyday life can help a child become more familiar with to what is normal and what is not.

     3. The most important source that has helped me come up with an answer to my working EQ is the               article Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism by Kate Miller-Wilson.
     4. My mentor is Ariana Nasseri and I am helping her take care of Sergio. What I am doing is making activities and stories that could help Sergio become more involved and social with other children.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. What I plan to do for my 30 hours of Independent Component are social or interactive activities that will help Sergio (autistic child) be more involved and be more social with the other kids. It could be from red light green light to duck duck goose. Or I could read different social stories to Sergio every day.

2. To show evidence of the 30 hours I could take a picture of the activity or story I did that day. I will write what I did on my log as well.

3.  What I will be doing for my Independent Component will help me explore my topic on autism in more depth because I will get to see progress off Sergio and how the communication with the other kids will grow.

Mentorship Experience

My mentor Ariana takes care of a 4 year old child named Sergio that is diagnosed with autism. He is a bright child, he can count to 100 while other kids in the day care do not know how to spell their names yet. He just has trouble focusing, expressing his feelings, and speaking. My mentor uses the MANDing method to help him through. He has progressed a lot since the last time, he used to bite other kids but now he uses manners and keeps his hands to himself and knows how to share. He is a very cute and smart kid, who needs a lot of attention from teachers and parents. Sergio has a very long day, he goes to school around 9:40 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. I go see them from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Everyday it is usually the same routine, the kids play games, then the teacher reads a book to them, then they go outside to play. I have learned a lot of methods on how to help an autistic child with my mentor but I feel I don't really get that much experience or learn any new strategies. It has been extremely hard to get a hold of a place with just autistic children so I have settled for the day care. Ariana says I can read social stories or teach Sergio a few methods if I would like to do that for my independent component but I still am unsure. I look forward to helping Sergio in his progress and accomplishing his goals.

Blog 6- Second Interview Preparation

1. My mentor is Ariana Nasseri who is a Behavior Interventionist that currently works at Amar Children's Center.

2.

• What do you enjoy the most about your job?
• Do you have any past experience with working with autistic children and if how challenging was it?
• In college, what did you major in and did it help lead you to the career you have pursued?
• Where have you worked/volunteered at with helping out autistic children?
• Is it your plan to get promoted to a higher position or stay in your current position?

Blog 5- Mentorship Reflection

1.  I found my mentorship through the Internet when I was looking for schools and centers that could possibly have kids with autism and I could help them. I actually found it in my city and quickly called and got the opportunity. I went in to the Amar Children's Center that same day I was accepted. I also found it through one of my friends that had done her volunteer hours there in the summer. Although it is a great place to do my hours, I also want to look for more places that could help me more with my essential question.
2. The most important article I have read so far is called Autism Symptoms & Early Signs. It is 6 pages long with detailed information on how autism could be understood and a list of symptoms a child with autism has. It helps you easily tell if your child has autism or has developed healthy. It also tells you what to do if your child does has autism and what treatment can undergo. 

Possible Mentor But Where To Volunteer?

I have received emails from Katie Enney who is a PsyD and she said can contact me with the program director of the school with autistic children in Monrovia and he could possibly be my mentor since he is the one that runs the place and she just administrates. It is only 20 minutes away from where I live so it is a good opportunity. I hope it works out. It has been extremely hard for me to find a place to volunteer at since I am still under age they won't accept me. And many places that have given me an opportunity happen to be an hour or two away. I am still trying to find somewhere and every day I am emailing people and places to be able to volunteer in any way. I have gotten phone calls when they offer me for jobs assuming I have experience in working with children with autism, when I tell them no I am just looking for a place to volunteer at they are disillusioned. I will continue to try to find somewhere I could volunteer at and possibly find multiple mentors.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
I plan on interviewing Katie Enney who is a Psy. D and I chose her since she is very knowledgeable about that topic due to her career.



2. You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask? Ask open-ended questions.

• What kind of activities or types of therapy are taken to help children with autism communicate better with others?
• How does autism happen or in other words, how is it caused?
• Are there obvious symptoms of autism? If so, what are they?
• What, in your opinion, is the best treatment for autism?
• Can vaccines be to blame for autism?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. List your topic here:                            
      Autism

2. Write a question that helps to focus your research this month.
            How can you help a child with autism communicate better with others?

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal:  

1. (Know) Using google doc (drive) link a log of specific hours and a description of your duties.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiaoXnoo5uuodGpmYVM2cmVfemsyRHhkRk1qZHFZeFE#gid=0

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?

The contact name is Ismael Cervantes and the number of where I volunteered at is (626)-851-9223.       

3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.     

• What makes a cake so unique and appetizing for customers?
• Does one make more profit with iced cakes or whipped cream cakes?
• Why does it seem so easy to make a cake but yet it's so difficult?
• How can you become famous and known as a cake decorator?
• Can this actually be a successful career?

Interpretive

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

The most important thing that I gained from this experience is that creativity is the key. You decide the color, borders, and what to put on the cake to make it look amazing yet delicious. You come up with your own original ideas in how to replicate characters or a certain theme. It takes up a lot of time and you have to be very skilled in order to make it look neat and tasteful at the same time. If you are not a creative person in general this job does not apply to you.

Applied

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

Actually I am changing my senior project to Personality Disorders (kids with autism). At first I chose cake decorating since I thought it was be easy and fun since my uncle is a cake decorator. But as I was doing my hours I realized that it really doesn't spark my attention and it is not something I want to focus on for the rest of the year. Creativity isn't my greatest strength and being a cake decorator was all about creativity and the input and time you put into it. As an actual career in my future, anything in humanities as in helping others has interested me. I tried doing different topics too but everything was about confidentiality and it is just difficult find information on it. Then, I found personality disorders and I found a couple places I can actually work with children diagnosed with autism and it was be a pleasure for me to help them. I believe that's really what I want to do as my topic and it interests me 10x more than cake decorating ever did.

2 Hour Presentations

1. The presentations I saw in order were: Social Work for Abused, Cosmetology, Occupational Therapy, Suicidal Youth, Photography, EMT (First Aid), Personality Disorders, HLE Officer, Physical Therapy, Engineering, Pharmaceutical, Cancer Advocacy, Coffee Shop Management, Marriage & Family Therapy, Cake Decorating, and Domestic Violence.
2. A question I still have about the senior project is if the teachers help students reword or make better their essential question if it is bad. Another question is the time requirement. Is it an hour or two hours? What do you need to make your presentation interesting but informative? If someone is shy what should be their advice to better their presentation?
3. The most important part of the senior project based on what I have seen is probably making it interesting and comfortable for themselves and for the audience.
4. I am considering doing clinical social working because it really interests me because I like to help other people. But I am still reconsidering and I might choose another field for my senior project.
5. If I go along with social working I might go to Tri-City Mental Hospital but if not I will find somewhere else.