Dan and Autism

Shadowing Days 1 and 2

On Saturday I began "shadowing", which is when I spend 15 days working in the group home and being trained more before I can officially count as a teacher/therapist and be scheduled as such.
Saturday I spent 9 AM to 3 PM there. The residents were in their bedrooms for the first hour or two, so I read all of their learning program binders and learned about their medication. The manager of the house also gave me a rundown on each of the guys and their personalities, interests, etc.
They just started a new program for one of the residents in the event that he has aggressive behavior at night. We have to put him in a bunch of restraints and then strap him down to a big wedge-shaped pad. I was tied up to demonstrate how it worked. It's definitely pretty much impossible to get out of. I was able to get one of the straps on the wedge off, but that was it.
Then we went to the residents' rooms to get them out of bed and dressed for breakfast. There was much male nudity. The guys went downstairs and for the most part, were able to pick their own breakfast and feed themselves. Some of the guys would help the others pour cereal or juice. Then one of them would put the dishes in the sink. I was surprised how functioning they are. After breakfast, some of them went into the living room, and some went to sit on the porch. I was again surprised at how they seem to have no problem with just sitting around without anything to do. Two of them just sat outside for an hour without talking or reading anything or really needing any sort of entertainment. The rest of the day was a "quiet day", so we sat around watching Harry Potter on TV. I watched them eat lunch too. I also started giving verbal commands to some of the residents. One of them keeps tucking his shirt into his underpants, so I ask him to fix his shirt and motion for it with my hands, and he complies.

Yesterday I came in at three and stayed at six. Another trainee was with me, and to catch her up to speed, we had her put me in the restraints again. Then I finally got some retribution and got to tie her up. I spent the remainer of the day reading enormous binders on each resident's behavior programs and The Organization's policies. I also became more comfortable with interacting with the residents. One of them rocks back and forth nervously when he sits, so I corrected him with verbal prompts. Another resident has a horrible bone disorder, so he can't walk without assitance, so I walked with him a couple of times, and now I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Tomorrow will be my first full shift, and it will also be a double shift. I'm going in at three, so a normal shift goes until 10 PM. But it's also going to be my first overnight shift, so I'll be sleeping there and staying until 9:30 AM.

posted by Daniel @ 5:56 PM