Therapy and Early Special Needs Education

Between 2007 and 2009, I spent a lot of time volunteering with special needs children both as a part of her extra-curricular activities and as a part of her undergraduate Psychology degree training. This was the beginning of intensive and continual volunteer social work for me.

I was a volunteer Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapist with Hope for Autism. Hope for Autism provides ABA therapy to children with autism whose parents cannot afford professional services. In this role, I applied ABA therapy techniques with a young autistic girl two times a week, once at her school with additional therapists and once a week in the child’s home.

I found the most rewarding aspect was seeing the child’s progress on fine motor tasks, and an improvement in her concentration.

I was also able to help as a teacher’s assistant in several special needs classrooms at Flying Colors Preschool in Ohio, USA. I assisted with and learned about different forms of therapy for early age special needs children. Some of the sessions included Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and ABA Therapy.