The "I Gotta PEE" Rosetta Stone

I've spent the past week working mainly with kids at the community, doing art projects and going to museums. They are so adorable and fun, it's been wonderful! And I didn't even steal any to take home with me...yet...

Working with kids with autism in another language is quite an adventure. I don't always know what they're saying or asking, and I've gotten into a terrible habit of just saying yes whenever I'm unsure of what they've asked. This is definitely something I need to reconsider as I may have given a girl permission to touch the artwork in a museum and only realized what she really said after she got yelled at by her teacher. Go me. Hey, it's a learning process and I'm now learning to tell kids to go ask someone else.

I do understand a lot and I find the kids to be really patient with me. I follow about 60 percent of what they say, and often when I don't get what they're saying and they seem confused, another kid will interject "she doesn't understand you" or sometimes tell me what the kid is asking in another way. However, something I'm really good at understanding is, "I need to use the restroom, would you mind showing me the way?" In Dutch, as with any other language, this is a knee-bending dance accompanied by big eyes and a desperate expression. Luckily I know how to ask a child "must you go pee-pee?" because of my experience living with small children. However, I should probably look up these phrases for adults to avoid any unneccessary awkwardness.

There is much debate over special education, whether kids with autism should be immersed with average students or taught separately. I am not an expert on education, autism, or really anything other than House, but this past week has started to give me an opinion on the topic. I think it depends on the child, but having a seperate community for children with autism seems SO wonderful for them! I was watching groups of kids (ages 5-10) interact with each other, and was amazed at how they all fit in here. Where I work, these kids aren't outsiders. They're not seen as different or bad, they're able to make friends and interact with groups of kids just like them, and they're understood by the people around them. I just kept thinking that if you took any of these precious kids and put them in an average school, they would be on the outside, they probably wouldn't make friends as easily or feel included, and they certainly wouldn't be as understood by adults as they are here. I don't know how it affects their learning, but it seems to me that the confidence and normalcy the children are able to get in this community would contribute to better development in and out of the classroom. But what do I know.

I'm loving my work, loving the children and adults I'm working with, and very happy to be involved in this community overall! Plus, and this is by no means certain, but I might be able to introduce a small therapeutic riding program into the community! Horses, kids with autism, and Dutch...it's like my own little paradise:)

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions!

xoxo
kw