Bailey Dennis
Responsibilities
The responsibilities at my internship included assisting during school readiness and social skills groups, observing and assisting in ABA sessions, observing speech, occupational therapy and feeding therapy, creating materials, and creating a variety of lessons and activities.
Accomplishments
My greatest accomplishment was being able to implement what I have learned in my coursework in my internship. Each client has different needs and different behaviors. Depending on the client, the behaviors are addressed differently, and my coursework paired with observation and learning of techniques allowed me to do this when assisting with clients.
Learning experience
I learned a lot about when and when not to reinforce behavior in children. The greatest lesson I learned was probably about myself and my capabilities. I learned how I can use my knowledge in a variety of different ways.
What advice would you give?
My advice for future students is to get as much experience as possible. This major is so broad, and there is so much out there that I feel I am still unaware of, so getting experience is so important. I also recommend getting experience with a variety of ages. You might think you are set on school-aged children, but how much experience have you had with preschool kids or the elderly? Getting experience might change your mind or solidify what you thought, but either way, get as much experience as you can.