Overview, Objectives, and Action Plan
Autism is among the disorders that are commonly researched nowadays. A neurological illness called autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is distinguished by limitations in interpersonal contact, the existence of narrow interests, and recurrent activities (Hodges et al., 2020). Most people diagnosed with ASD live alone or work full time, additionally experiencing challenges in their educational path (Lord et al., 2018). Therefore, among the objectives of the given project is to provide initiatives in the school curriculum that can be helpful to the students diagnosed with ASD. The action plan involved creating and implementing activities within the classroom in a local high school.
Timeline, Plan, and Leadership
The timeline involves two weeks, during which it was necessary to devise a program that would incorporate activities that benefit students with ASD and make them more comfortable. Therefore, the first week and a half involved creating the program, and another half involved applying for the program in the classroom. As for the contingency plan, in case the original plan was not accepted by the students or the number of educators who were part of the team was opposed by the students, the number of team members could be reduced. The leadership strength application involved the incorporation of a democratic leadership style in order to let everyone be a part of decision-making by providing their perspectives. The style was applied when deciding on who will be responsible for what activity.
Summary
On my team, there were two more people, and both of them were under my leadership. The services that were worked on were provided in a local high school with a class where there were students diagnosed with ASD. This service was implemented to support the new students who experienced difficulties communicating with their peers, which allowed them to connect. This service was implemented on December 2nd with 1.5 weeks of prior preparation. The service went according to the plan, with the lesson being divided into three parts. During the questionnaire activity, students were divided into groups where they wrote questions that concerned them, after this, the questions were distributed among the students so everyone could express their opinions and recommendations. In mock trials, students were divided into two groups, with one group supporting the historic character in question and the other group taking the opposing stance. Every student provided their argument, which was later used to either support or oppose the hero. Finally, students were encouraged to share their favorite memes, and other students could share their feelings.
Team and Leadership Ability
The leadership skills it took to perform the activity involved relationship building. While creating the activities, it was essential to communicate and provide opinions on the program. As a result, this created a sense of appreciation and team-building. Moreover, the team used their creativity skills when providing the possible characters for mock trials and memes. Finally, it was essential to determine the planning and delivery aspect. In this situation, I managed to keep the process within the deadlines.
References
Hodges, H., Fealko, C., & Soares, N. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder: definition, epidemiology, causes, and clinical evaluation. Translational pediatrics, 9(1), 55–65. Web.
Lord, C., Elsabbagh, M., Baird, G., & Veenstra-Vanderweele, J. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder. Lancet, 392(10146), 508–520. Web.