Wow, is it really the 1st of March? For how slow some things tend to be here in Ghana, my time always goes so quickly!
Friday, the 6 of February was supposed to be the first day of caregiver training at AACT. Even after communicating via email with both Auntie Serwah and Auntie Baaba throughout the week about the training details, there was still a conflict. Upon arrival to AACT, I learned that Auntie Serwah had actually planned to throw herself a belated birthday party. This included music, food and drinks for the entire school day. While it was fun and a kind gesture, it did not create the most effective environment for teaching. Due to this circumstance, the training was rescheduled for the following weeks.
I left AACT that day feeling frustrasted. Frustrated at the lack of communication between administration and volunteers, as well as the lack of attention being given to the students. It was then that it hit me. So many volunteers have come through AACT to do caregivers trainings. So many volunteers have addressed these issues in lecture style classes. Although all of them have some level of positive outcome, the real net gain is small. How do we change this?! It is clear from the long range effect, or lack there of, that these type of teaching may not be the best way to reach everyone. Therefore we, the teachers, must change our teaching style in order to accommodate our “students.”
Instead of a lecture that following Friday we played charades. For anyone who is not familiar, this is a game where you have to act out a specific event, character, or action without using any spoken language. Then your team mates have to guess what you are trying to convey. Not knowing how this was going to turn out, I made about 20 different cards, divided the teams and crossed my fingers. After the first few warm-ups, the caregivers were into it! Not only were they cheering for their teams, they were actually acting with expression.
Once the game was over. The question was posed: “What was the purpose of playing?” Silence. So adapting my question, I asked them to how it felt when their respective teams were unable to guess what the actor was trying to portray. “It was frustrating,” “it was annoying,” “it made them mad not being able to verbally communicate a message.” Exactly.
The majority of the students at AACT have not developed verbal communication skills, nor have they learned any other form of effective communication. It is my hope that the caregivers now have a better understanding of how these children feel everyday of their lives. If nothing else though, the game has now been carried out to an unexpected level. Since that Friday, one specific caregiver has taken it upon himself to set up the game every week. After our lessons, he has run a charades game. Last week he even brought prizes for both the team who won and the team who lost!
Besides charades, there are a few new items to report. First of all, I want to say how proud I am of the caregivers and Auntie Baaba for initiating the use of PECS during their lunch time. Right before the holiday break Auntie Baaba made some pictures of pure water bags, spoons and forks. At first, I was unsure about how effective it was going to be just due to the inconsistency of their use. Although, to my amazement, the caregivers have gotten quite good with this system and the children have really responded. The majority of students will now request these items either verbally or with the pictures! Its a great step towards teaching communication that now needs to be expanded.
Auntie Baaba and Auntie Serwah also decided to change around the classrooms. Where the older students were is now where the primary class is and visa versa. This makes so much difference. It is much less distracting for the young ones and also gives them more space, with direct access to the bathrooms and kitchen.
Planning for Autism Awareness Month is also progressing! The following are the tentative dates and events planned as of last Friday, February 26th with Auntie Baaba and Auntie Serwah:
17th – 19th March - Autism Awareness Table at Accra Mall with Joyful Way Inc.
20th March - Mandatory AACT Parent's Meeting
28th March - Autism Awareness Concert at the National Theater Hosted by Joyful Way Inc.
1st April - Press Conference
2nd April- World Autism Awareness Day
9th April - AACT Community Awareness Walk
17th April - Informational Seminar at British Council
22nd April - Benefit Concert in Osu
24th April - All Parents of Children with Autism Meeting at Multikids
Its going to be a wild month of events!
As always, thank you for reading.
Casey
