Transition Program Essay

This assignment is based upon my understanding of child development and children’s learning, considering the curriculum for the Early Years and the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. I propose to outline a rationale for effectively continuing children’s learning, from the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and include strategies to support transitions, effective curriculum delivery and links between the EYFS and the National Curriculum. Throughout the assignment I will refer not only in general but also to how my research has help me as a practitioner help my setting to effectively continue children’s learning.

A lot of people don’t realize the challenges of living with a child who has been diagnose with Autism can be. It is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week job no vacation, no sick time and no pay. From the time the child is diagnosed it is a constant worry especially if the parents don’t know much about the condition. It starts with continuous Doctor visits, social services, and therapy sessions, just to figure out how serious the condition may be and what level of the disability the child has and this is only this beginning. Next, to find the tools the child needs to overcome the disability, like learning development and cognitive process, social skills, comprehension capabilities, and many more depending on the severity of autism.

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

Most parents wonder what is the next chapter after their child with autism spectrum disorder graduate from high school, for some individuals, it is to move onto higher education. As stated by Cai and Richdale (2015), the USA has one of the lowest rates of college enrollment for individuals with ASD, with over 50% of these individuals being in neither education nor employment following their secondary school, with similar finding in the UK (p. 31). For the individuals with ASD who move forward in gaining a higher education will have to learn to adapt and determine how to transition into higher education. Mentioned by Cai and Richdale (2015), a USA national survey illustrated poor outcomes from transitioning from secondary school into adult-hood. “The findings showed that after young adults with ASD left the public school system, 80% continues to live at home, only 32% attended postsecondary education, just 6% had competitive jobs, while 21% had no employment or education experience at all. Further 40% reported having no friends. (p. 32)”

The Jane Justin School of Autism provides the right life skills and knowledge that children need to live a meaningful and productive life. How the school makes this mission possible is by responding to the needs of the students and families while respecting and embracing the individuality of the child while maintaining educational excellence. The Jane Justin School also hopes that the students one day may be able to return to a traditional classroom and educational setting with the skills that would make this possible.

      Each of us experiences transitions in our lives. Some of these changes are small, like moving from one school semester to the next. Other times these changes are major, like the transition between youth and adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", the author dramatizes a real life crime story to examine the decisive moment people face when at the crossroads between the illusions and innocence of youth and the uncertain future.

To ensure that my program evaluation is objective, credible and fair I would employ internal and external counselors or advisors as well as align my program evaluation with the standards and practices of the professional body of evaluators. These “advisors “may or may not include the program stakeholders, but would not negate the formal process of collaborating with key stakeholders. Rather, the purpose of my advisor team is to see and hear things I missed.

“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me, and not terrify me”. This quote, by Ellis Ross, paints a very good image of how I want to take on these next few weeks of the Summer Transition Program. I have always wanted to be a better student than I actually am, but my disabilities influenced my studies immensely. I am currently diagnosed with dyslexia, dyscalculia, depression, and anxiety. Struggling in high school has only encouraged me to continue my education at UW-Whitewater to reach my goals. After graduating college, I hope to work with adolescents who have the same issues as me, or to work in an area similar to child protective services. My disabilities have held me back in high school in multiple ways, but I am very grateful to have the opportunity at UW-Whitewater to work past my difficulties in more areas than just education. Although I have weaknesses, I take pride in my reading skills, writing ability, and social dexterity.

My immediate goal after graduation is to prepare myself in the strongest way possible for successful entry and progression in a MD/PhD program. After exploring the Case Western Reserve University website, I firmly believe that the PREP program will equip me with all the tools I need to flourish in the field of medical science. The mentors in the PREP program are all amazing scientists and after reading a few of the goals of their labs, I aspire to develop the same dedication, knowledge, and achievement. I currently want to know more about how genetics is being applied to medical research, and I was especially elated to read of the work taking place in Dr. Mark Jackson’s lab. The creation of a genetically engineered breast cancer model being used to learn more about tumor suppressor genes and their interaction with oncogenes is amazing to me. I want to learn more about the process of creating similar models and using it to answer highly relevant questions. I’m also very curious about the VBIM strategy that is being used and developed to identify new genetic elements important to cancer formation. It is a technique that I would love the opportunity to better understand and utilize through the PREP program.

I am writing to explain why I was not able to participate in the Early Start Program to satisfy my math requirement. I was not communicated to take the Early Start Program due to my citizenship status I was not required to take my Math or English classes during the summer I was exempt from this because i'm not a U.S citizen. However now that the requirements have changed and I'm eligible to take these classes I'm asking for a petition to be able to be considered for an Early Start exemption.

A fork in the road only appears as such when both paths are seen as viable options; yet, once one path becomes seen as the only one, the other devolves into a deviation. Where the aberration would require justification to travel down, the perceived correct course would require justification to not travel down. This is precisely how the false question of attending college was presented to me: it was a matter of when not if. Upon inheriting white looking skin, a middle class family, and a pat on the back for bringing home white sheets of papers with little red “A”s written in the top right corner, it was ascertained that I was to be a productive and successful engineer after paying for college with hard-won scholarship money. In short, there were several socio-economic factors that contributed to my eventual position in college.

The United States has always been a main attraction for international students to gain intellectual knowledge, technical skills, cross-cultural experience, and better opportunities for professional development (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013; Zhang & Goodson, 2010). According to the Institute of International Education (2017), in the academic year of 2015/2016, there was an increase of 7% in the number of international student pursuing higher education in the United States over the previous year with total international students of 1,043,839 and 5.2% representing the total of U.S College enrollment. International students make higher education one of the largest service sector exports in the United States (Rice, Choi, Zhang, Morero, & Anderson, 2012; Zhang & Goodson, 2010). They are regarded as a vital financial commodity for countries

Van Hees, V., Moyson, T., & Roeyers, H. (2015). Higher education experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder. Challenges, benefits and support needs. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(6), 1673-1688.

My internship placement is a non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive range of programs to address and end intimate partner violence. During the week I split my time between two locations; the main building in downtown Boston, and at an 18-month long transitional living program for young women (ages 15-21) who are either pregnant or parenting. The transitional living program, that I will refer to as ABC, is a house that can accommodate up to 8 moms and 13 children at any given time. The majority of the young women who are currently guests of ABC have been living there for at least 6-8 months, if not longer. Only 2 of the 8 women have moved in within the last 6 months.