Turney School Summer Holiday Project 2009

Having spent a week at Turney Special School, when thinking back about the experience, only good memories come to mind. Having to spend 5 full days at such a school for the first time wasn’t easy, as I had to adjust to the way things were run and the difficulties the children had which I had not come across before.

On the first day, what struck me most was what happened first thing in the morning where the children all sat in a circle and sang a good morning song, in which I had to participate. The use of singing and music appeared to be key in the education of these children, most of whom suffered from autism. Another thing I noticed was the use of sign language by the teachers and the supporting staff, and not knowing sign language myself, I found it slightly more difficult to communicate with the children, especially the non-verbal ones.

However, what I found most rewarding about the experience was developing my ability to communicate effectively with the children over the week to help them do what was asked of them and also building relationships with the children so they would recognise and remember me. One of the breakthroughs I had was on the first day where the children had to paint butterflies printed out on a sheet of paper. The boy I was helping simply stirred the paint with his paintbrush and would not paint, however many times I asked him. Eventually after a few minutes, I managed to get him to carry out the task after demonstrating how it was done myself and by taking his hand and showing him how to do it. After this point, I understood the importance of non-verbal communication. Forming special relationships with the individual children was very important to me; I could really relate with a few of the children in my class and even had the opportunity to practise my Spanish with a couple of the children who were from Spanish families.

After spending a week at Turney, I became very interested in the phenomenon of autism and how it affects the people that suffer from it. The experience even prompted me to get some work experience at a treatment centre for autism in India. I found that week extremely gratifying and it was an incredible experience which I would not hesitate to repeat some time in the future.

Mariam Rela, Year 13