Autism Personal Statement

My fascination with Autism Spectrum Disorder stemmed mainly from my family’s interest in it. My mother and both of her parents worked in educational psychology and regaled me with stories and challenges of their careers all my life. Once I was old enough to borrow books from my mom, I was drawn to her extensive collection of books on educational psychology and ASD, specifically. As I grew up I realized that a career working with individuals with ASD was what I wanted with my future.
Once my curiosity for the field had been sparked, I began searching for opportunities to learn more. I worked as a camp counselor at multiple summer camps, one of which hosted the Autism Society of Minnesota. I got to work one-on-one with children there and work to understand how different children work and the wide-range ASD can have on a child. I loved working there and continued to work at a different camp where I was the one-on-one aid for a non-verbal child with ASD. I loved the challenge of learning to communicate with him and teaching him how to interact with the other …show more content…
I never want to do anything short of my best. I love learning and I love progressing. Once I begin learning something new, I try very hard to apply it to life outside of the classroom. For instance, cleft palate/lip is something heavily discussed throughout my SLHS classes. I love applying what I learn during these classes to my volunteer work at the clinic because I get to see how everything I learn comes together. With this strength, however, comes a prominent weakness. I have the tendency to push myself too far. My desire to constantly do my very best work, in many different places, means I can’t leave something until it is done in a way that I see as perfect. This weakness has taught me to plan my time, whether it be weekly or monthly, to allow myself to spend as much time as I want to make everything I do the best I