Today I had the opportunity to get into some sessions and observe fluency based precision teaching as well as some discrete trial training. It's so amazing to see the skype training we have been doing for the previous month prior to coming being put into action-- I never thought I'd see the day when I would be seeing therapists in Kenya taking data on standard celeration charts!! I also was able to see a client doing vocal imitation sessions with the use of a vocal stimulation machine, a piece of equipment I have never come across in the United States. Apparently the client's grandmother suffered a stroke which impacted her speech, and when she began seeing a Physiotherapist (Kenyan lingo for Physical Therapist), she began using the machine. When use of the machine resulted in rehabilitation of her speech, the client's mother wished for her son to use the same machine. Since using the machine, Pooja and the parent report increases in vocal production and sounds, however variables have not been systematically manipulated to determine which intervention, or combination thereof, account for the increase in speech. I suggested perhaps we do an experimental analysis of behavior and embark on an alternating treatments research design and a component analysis in order to determine which variable(s) are responsible for the increase in speech. Given the machine is more of a speech language/physical therapy intervention, it would be interesting to see if data would justify continued "rent" payment for use of the machine. Moreover, the mother has been very pleased with results as of late and attributes them in part to use of the machine, so it would be poor practice at this time to simply stop using the machine if data may indicate it has been helpful. Nevermind that the Global Autism Project never seeks to enter into a partnership and come into a country and immediately disrupt what the culture has viewed as successful if there is no data to substantiate our decisions. I'm excited to see what data will tell us!!
We also had the opportunity to meet with the mother of a 12 year old girl, and her "aya" (Swahili word for maid) to discuss targets for program development and skill acquisition. She is not in school, and has not been in school for sometime. The education system in Kenya does not seem to strictly oversee and mandate children being in school, which from what I've observed, and based on interviews with multiple families, teachers and professionals, this may not necessarily be all bad for special needs children if they are not getting the support they need by teachers who have an understanding and skillset fundamental to growth and progression. (This also happens to be a possible exciting venture for me in the future and on subsequent trips: a comparative analysis of how education and special education in Kenya compares to IDEA in the United States) Her mother pulled her out of school due to lack of progression, and has increased her sessions at Kaizora with Pooja, since that is where she has seen the most growth and development. I suggested perhaps we target some functional life skills training, such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, money management, etc. The mother was thrilled, and would like to see her daughter develop some skills in these areas, especially since her aya can oversee many of these tasks.
I will be training Pooja and the Kaizora staff how to implement the Functional Independent Skills Assessment and work with Pooja to design programs to target areas of need based on lifestyle, traditions, and ways of life for her family and the culture of Kenyan people. This is a task I am REALLY excited about, given that results may be seen not just in academic domains, but in self help and activities of daily living as well. By continuously gauging and assessing not only progress based on follow-up assessments, but on parent satisfaction at home, we can ensure we are targeting skills that are proving to be most useful and beneficial. So many exciting clinical developments today!!!
- Emily
We also had the opportunity to meet with the mother of a 12 year old girl, and her "aya" (Swahili word for maid) to discuss targets for program development and skill acquisition. She is not in school, and has not been in school for sometime. The education system in Kenya does not seem to strictly oversee and mandate children being in school, which from what I've observed, and based on interviews with multiple families, teachers and professionals, this may not necessarily be all bad for special needs children if they are not getting the support they need by teachers who have an understanding and skillset fundamental to growth and progression. (This also happens to be a possible exciting venture for me in the future and on subsequent trips: a comparative analysis of how education and special education in Kenya compares to IDEA in the United States) Her mother pulled her out of school due to lack of progression, and has increased her sessions at Kaizora with Pooja, since that is where she has seen the most growth and development. I suggested perhaps we target some functional life skills training, such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, money management, etc. The mother was thrilled, and would like to see her daughter develop some skills in these areas, especially since her aya can oversee many of these tasks.
I will be training Pooja and the Kaizora staff how to implement the Functional Independent Skills Assessment and work with Pooja to design programs to target areas of need based on lifestyle, traditions, and ways of life for her family and the culture of Kenyan people. This is a task I am REALLY excited about, given that results may be seen not just in academic domains, but in self help and activities of daily living as well. By continuously gauging and assessing not only progress based on follow-up assessments, but on parent satisfaction at home, we can ensure we are targeting skills that are proving to be most useful and beneficial. So many exciting clinical developments today!!!
- Emily
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