Day 6

A most 'successful' i.e. enjoyable day!

We started today's training with a live assessment of a ASD child at the centre in the morning. It was a wonderful learning experience where the trainer ran us through how she prepared the room for the assessment beforehand (structure! structure! structure!) and then watching her assess the child after that. It was amazing how much clinical skills were needed during the assessment; when to push the child, when to ilicit responses, when to back off, what would motivate the child and how much more can the child accomplish. The whole session took around 2 1/2 hours and after that we break for lunch before returning to score the assessment on the protocol. There were some discussion about some of the scores but in general, the discussion helped tremendously in my understanding of the tool and even how to clinically assess a child. It was great to be able to learn the whole process and see how the 'experts' synthesized all the information and using it for the programming afterwards.

During the discussion about the possible educational programming and goals, again a feeling of tremendous energy which really made me sit up and want to plunge myself right into all the excitement of handling the information we have gathered during the assessment. E and me were so active and excited that i worry afterwards if we have been too forward in our enthusiasium but i think it was okie. The rest of the colleagues were OK too and i think the tension has defused at least for now. It was a tiring session because the discussion was so energetic as we came up with ideas after ideas on what can help the child learn better.

The next fantastic thing which happened was that we had a chance to join a Adult Supper Club which organize an outing once a month for high-functioning  autistic (HFA) adults. It is amazing how independent some of them are; they have jobs, some stayed on their own and even drives a jeep! I am so privileged to have met the 7 men and 1 woman who came today for the dinner and outing to Barnes & Noble (bookstore) at the Mayfaire. I never had a chance to interact with adults with autism before and it is an eye-opening and humbling experience. It is unmistakenable that these adults are odd in some ways and have their little eccentricities but they are so terribly sincere and sweet in the ways they interacted with us. And so giving as well... I never felt so touched in my life and to see the trainers organizing such fun activities and to watch how they interact with the HFA adults were one of the best experiences in my life. It is not only the trainers but the general community is so accepting of people with disabilities! We were at the restuarant and no one gave us funny looks and the waiters treated everyone with respect and such patience and care. We had strangers smiling and offering to help us take photos and it just felt so good and comfortable. It was... just so amazing that words can hardly describe how i feel.

It may be that these HFAs have some problems with social interaction and a degree of handicap in communcation but it didn't really matter because people around them were so understanding. I think everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously so much so that despite most of them having to return back to the clinic (where some parents were waiting to pick them up after the outing), one guy stayed with us and wanted to join us (though he did not express it) after that. He was one of the most shy person in the group but also the most independent. He works a in a newspaper writing sports statistics and drives a car on his own. He is going to finish his undergraduate studies in computers in the local community college and has a GPA of 3.5. He was really sweet and understood all our jokes. He has a great laugh and when we were leaving, he gave us each a hug, something that was so spontaneously and genuine, and so un-like a person with autism. I think i nearly cried.

It was a truly unbelievable day for me. I know it didn't sound like much but i guess you have to know these persons to know how amazing it is. I only hope that singapore could have been as accepting of our children in school to give them a chance to grow up to be like these adults. Perhaps, one day, it will be possible.

28/07/04  10.21pm

View Photos (Work! Work! Work! Perhaps a little play..)