I decided to volunteer with a non-profit organization called Central Illinois Autism Therapeutic Services (CIATS) in Charleston for my Link project. CIATS has a playgroup for children with Autism or children with development delays. The weekly playgroup is for children ages three through eighteen. This program allows children to improve their social and life skills.
When I was volunteering, I had a chance to network with professionals and learn more about the services available for children with disabilities. I learned about Early Intervention and how beneficial it can be for a child to receive needed serves before entering kindergarten. I also talked with parents of children with Autism and learned more about the issues they face on a daily basis.
When I was volunteering, I had a chance to network with professionals and learn more about the services available for children with disabilities. I learned about Early Intervention and how beneficial it can be for a child to receive needed serves before entering kindergarten. I also talked with parents of children with Autism and learned more about the issues they face on a daily basis.
Majority of families that attend are in the low to middle income status. This program is free to families with children with disabilities. However, some children from low-income families do not have transportation to come to playgroup or their parents are working when the playgroup is scheduled. In the Disadvantaged Families Class we discussed families in this situation are living in relative poverty. This is defined as a family lacking possessions such as a car and cell phones and can be one of the general ways to measure poverty. Families living in poverty do not have extra time to bring their children to playgroup, because the parent maybe working more hours to make end’s meat. For many children playgroup is the only time the child interacts with people outside their family. Therefore, when I was spending time with these children I learned how much this playgroup means to them.
The first time I went to the playgroup, I worked with the older children teaching them how to bake sweets such as cookies and cake. This activity will help the children with Autism and development delays practice life skills to help them later on in life. A child with a disability is at a disadvantage with learning basic skills, because the child may have to work harder than a typical developing child. The second time I went to the playgroup, I worked the same group of kids for more cooking practice. It was so rewarding when they remembered what we needed to use to make a cake. I also worked with a young boy that did not know his letters, but after coloring and playing with alphabet stickers he started to recognize a few letters. After finishing my Link project, I will continue to volunteer with CIATS to continue helping the children and families.
The first time I went to the playgroup, I worked with the older children teaching them how to bake sweets such as cookies and cake. This activity will help the children with Autism and development delays practice life skills to help them later on in life. A child with a disability is at a disadvantage with learning basic skills, because the child may have to work harder than a typical developing child. The second time I went to the playgroup, I worked the same group of kids for more cooking practice. It was so rewarding when they remembered what we needed to use to make a cake. I also worked with a young boy that did not know his letters, but after coloring and playing with alphabet stickers he started to recognize a few letters. After finishing my Link project, I will continue to volunteer with CIATS to continue helping the children and families.
-Vicki Miller
No comments:
Post a Comment