Week 4: Service Learning day

This week my group has been focusing on getting things ready to begin. We are going to be participating in the group Giant Steps. Giant steps is an organization that teaches parents with autistic children about different ways to help their child. The staff or volunteers help watch and play with the children while their parents are in class. This week we have been figuring out which days they will need us and how we can best benefit their organization and promote health.

This project I believe is very important because autism is a growing concern. Giving parents the opportunity to learn more about how they can help their child and also giving them a break is beneficial to both the child and the parent. Having an autistic child can be hard on a family and it's important for the parents to receive a little relief. This group is also a place where parents can receive support from other parents dealing with the same kind of issues. It becomes a safe place to express frustrations and feelings.

Part of autism for some children is that they have a hard time in large groups. This group allows these children to learn to deal and cope with being around groups of people. These skills will help the children better socialize with friends and classmates.

I think right now our society is a little afraid of autism because not many know that much about it. People don't realize that someone with autism, with proper help, is able to function normally in our society. Yes to some they may seem a little weird but to me they are just unique. They have a different outlook on life and it is somewhat refreshing. I'm hoping that as I help these children that I will be able to see each of their individuality, see their outlook on life compared to mine. This will open my eyes to new ideas and to new information.

This experience will benefit me as a future nurse because it will help me learn how to deal with children that have autism. I want to be a pediatric nurse and so I am sure i will encounter many autistic children and it's important for me to know how to get them to trust me and allow me to do certain procedures on them.