As a Registered Behavior Technician, since January of 2015, I have been working at Verbal Behavior XXXX with children on the Autism spectrum, providing behavior intervention and building language acquisition at home and at school. I have fallen deeply in love with SLP, Audiology, and mostly Autistic children. XXXX University’s Communicative Sciences and Disorders Master’s Degree Program at the XXXX School is my first choice for graduate study because of the sheer excellence of your curricula, the fact that I can complete much of my course work online, and your location at the very center of the world. I look forward to contributing to the diversity of your program as a Latina recovering her linguistic heritage and now speaking Spanish at an advanced level as well as achieving an intermediate level in American Sign Language.
As a Lead Behavior Interventionist, I am responsible for pre- and post-testing students, creating material, and making necessary changes to programs the students do not seem to be making progress with. In addition to my current professional position, I also spent more than two years as a volunteer at the XXXX Rehabilitation & Wellness Center (September 2012-January 2014) working with the Regeneration Adult Day Club, preparing daily activities for members. Over the past few years, I have also completed a considerable amount of shadowing of various Speech Language Pathology professionals, especially with respect to client assessment and evaluation. Finally, I have worked as a Phonetics Teacher Assistant (Fall 2013) tutoring students, grading assignments and preparing instructional materials.
Over the last year I’ve spent most of my workdays in a Special Education Public High School; most of my students have some form of Autism. This school is small but filled with many opportunities to enhance their quality of life. I especially love how multidisciplinary professionals come together as a team for their care, SLP’s, OT’s, psychologists and teachers, helping the students to reach their full potential. Working with these professionals has really helped to hone my skills and steer me in the right career direction.
I love what I do, and it is because of this passion that I want to become an advocate and assist in language acquisition programs for special needs children at an early age. I want to be able to use many of the same approaches employed at the high school where I work with young children. I hope in time to create my own preschool/clinic.
Children are most flexible during their first 5 years, and I believe that programs have the greatest opportunity for success at early ages with multidisciplinary teams of professionals working together to better the lives of these children. While I was in college, I completed a minor in developmental disabilities. But I have learned even more on the job about Autism and a variety of learning techniques, how to deal with failed attempts and the frustration faced by students when they try to communicate. I learn by doing, daily. This is why I place such a high value on the program at XXU. It would allow me to learn theories and skills while simultaneously applying them through participation in clinical externships.
These children inspire me daily to persevere. Attending graduate school at XXU would help me come full circle in the realization of my academic goals and professional aspirations. My goal is improving the quality of life of my students. My students often use body language to communicate, and it isn't always pleasant. It can indeed be quite frustrating for the child and their parent/loved ones. I want to do everything I can to break down communication barriers and continue my education with a master's degree in Speech Language Pathology.
I dream of establishing a clinic for autistic children with speech/language challenges with many multidisciplinary professionals under one roof - SLP's, Occupational therapists, Behavior therapists - creating an optimal environment for children to learn at a young age, increasing their opportunities to socialize, communicate, and develop appropriate behavior.
I have a solid foundation in language acquisition and the use of technology for nonverbal children. Working at different schools has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with many teachers and multidisciplinary professionals. I have grown along with my students, shaping my techniques to suit a variety of circumstances. I look forward to a professional lifetime honing my skills as I work with my students.
Thank you for considering my application.
SLP Personal Purpose Audiology Autistic Children
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