April is Autism Awareness Month! Senses Senior Occupational Therapist Amanda shares her journey working alongside people with Autism over the past 10 years.
“When I started working alongside people with Autism 10 years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a mum explain to me “when you’ve met one person with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism”. What a great way to kick start a career where I would get the chance to understand what this quote really highlights – that like anybody, all people with Autism have their individual strengths, likes and personality traits.
I am able within my role as an Occupational Therapist at Senses to view each person as a whole and to understand that there is scope to not only support goals around what a person may find difficult, but to also support a person to get even better at something that they already have skills within. Part of this is having the same expectations for a person with Autism that we would for somebody that does not – whether this means participation in their preferred activities, being part of their community, engaging in social and romantic relationships, being as independent as possible or gaining employment. People with Autism have strengths that I am continually amazed by (i.e. I wish my memory for small details was as robust and that I could think as logically sometimes!).
A big passion of mine is to explore what makes a person tick, as we should all have the opportunity to engage in activities that are meaningful to us. I have met some incredible people, families, care staff and school staff along my journey so far, and look forward to continuing to learn from people with Autism with every interaction.”
Every day Senses Occupational Therapists assist children and adults living with disabilities, contact us today to discuss how we can assist you in achieving your goals.
Call 1300 111 881 or email csa@senses.org.au
