In honor of National Storytelling Day on April 27, 2019, we are posting a few stories that staff has shared with us.
Early in my career I was asked to assist another teacher in teaching a student how to attend her brother’s bar mitzvah. This was a difficult task as we had to think of all the challenges the student might face on the day of the event and break them down into teachable skills.
We worked with Jamie, teaching her to sit quietly in the temple, to follow the schedule she would need to remain engaged during the long ceremony, being called up to receive a candle, how to handle the noise of a loud party and many more skills.
As a young teacher, I felt a lot of pressure in being responsible for a student’s behavior at an important family event. Thankfully, all the hard work Jamie put in paid off. She did fabulously and her family was happy and that’s all that mattered. Her brother had a great day and his sister was able to be a part of this wonderful memory.
The feeling I had afterwards was euphoric and seeing the smiles I helped create was priceless. It helped to motivate me as a young teacher to learn more about autism and ABA, so I could help more families.
by Stacey Agosta