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Introduction
of Co-workers
All co-workers at the farm receive a two-part introduction
at the beginning of their activity:
The first is an introduction by experienced autism therapists.
Here they learn what Early Childhood Autism is understood
to be, what types of disturbances can appear in the way autistic
people process sensory data, what consequences these disturbances
have for their development and behavior, and how their behavior
can be observed systematically. The co-workers are also given
an introduction to the basic principles of behavioral therapy.
The
second is an on-the-job training they receive on the farm
from the co-workers of the farm itself, in which they are
prepared for the concrete behavior of the residents, the concepts
of therapy that have been developed on the spot, and the problems
of interaction and communication within the resident group
itself. All co-workers must understand from the very beginning
of their activity why autistic people behave differently.
It is absolutely necessary for their therapeutic activity
and their dealings with the autistic residents in everyday
life and at the workplace that they know what kinds of disturbances
in the processing of sensory data can appear and what difficulties
and problems for social interaction and communication result
from them. They are to be able to analyze everyday situations
and determine possible conditioning factors or trigger mechanisms
for improper, destructive behavior. Another aim of their introduction
is to teach them how to structure everyday social situations.
Co-workers living in communities with autistic people should
also learn what methods and procedures are appropriate for
building up a stress-free, emotionally positive atmosphere.
Residents who have difficulties with their orientation now
and then and have not yet developed a stable self-concept
should gain self-confidence and trust in themselves through
their interaction and communication with the co-workers. Inexperienced
co-workers who do not provide this orientation can make the
residents so insecure that they respond with agitation and
emotional outbursts. Such behavior on the part of the autistic
residents can, in turn, unsettle the new co-workers and even
arouse fears in them, leading to orientational difficulties
on their part that then manifest in an unclear way of dealing
with the residents. This behavior can lead to considerable
problems in interaction and communication. The building-up
of a positive, caring relationship between residents and co-workers
has then been disrupted.
The
Educational-Therapeutic Concept of the Farm
The Meyerwiede Farm is an Integrative Measure, as defined
by the [German] Federal Welfare Act. The therapeutic work
is therefore designed in such a way that rehabilitation (integration
into society) is the main goal for every resident.
The residents can only be accepted when the consequences of
their developmental disturbance, i.e., autism (the handicap
that manifests more predominantly in some than in others),
does not permit them to live a "normal" life in society. Autistic
people are thus dependent on an environment structured specifically
to meet the typical pattern of their autistic disturbances,
their individual level of functional ability, and their behavioral
problems, one that understands and accepts them along with
their difficulties, problems, and fears. These surroundings
are to offer them the security and orientation they need,
but also stimulate the development of their abilities. In
other words, the environment is to be structured in such a
way that it offers them possibilities for their further formation
and stimuli for their own self-directed behavior. All development
is driven forward by stimuli from the social environment.
The more precisely these impulses are adjusted to the functional
level at hand (in the form of demands that are not too high
-- or too low!), the sooner they will be able to stimulate
the further development of the autistic resident. Alongside
the general therapeutic structure of the Meyerwiede Farm there
must therefore also be an individual educational plan put
together for each single resident (see the educational plan
for André) which is tailored to his or her individual
degree of development, learning possibilities, and behavioral
problems.
To this end, a resident conference is held approximately once
a year, attended by all the co-workers who work with the resident
and live in his or her group, the parents (or persons in charge)
of the resident, and the farm's director. The educational
advisor and the resident him/herself may also be present.
First of all, the current state of affairs is ascertained.
That is, all the conference participants bring together their
observations concerning how they evaluate the emotional condition
of the resident, whether the situation at home and on the
farm require different ways of looking at things, what goals
the resident has fully achieved during the past year and which
ones were achieved only partially or not at all, what difficulties
arose, and why certain goals were not achieved. From the results
of this discussion, the group then determines in common which
goals are especially important for the resident's further
development in the following year. If the resident participates
in the conference him/herself, he/she can make contributions
and proposals to the discussion. As far as possible, he/she
should ultimately express agreement with the goals that have
been worked out in common. Both the course and results of
the resident conference and the goals proposed for the following
year then flow into the educational plan, which becomes a
written document and contains the following areas of attention:
Emotional
Condition
Communication / Language
Social Interaction / Social Behavior
Independence
Motor Activity
Work
Leisure Time.
This educational plan then goes to the persons in charge (parents)
and, if need be, to the residents themselves.
The goals stated in the educational plans represent guidelines
for the co-workers (as well as for those in charge), according
to which they work at furthering the development of the individual
resident. The therapist to whom the resident relates most
closely is the person mainly responsible for this, being in
charge of the resident's educational development, the shaping
of his/her life situation, and all cooperation with the parents.
Some goals (particularly in the different areas of work) can
be attained by means of direct instruction, practice, or even
training. Other goals (especially in the areas of communication,
interaction, and independence) can only be achieved over a
long period of time within the context of the therapeutically
structured community life. They "flow" into everyday life,
into the shaping of the different life situations themselves,
emphasizing certain aspects of the work and providing for
the special stimuli needed by a particular resident. However,
every resident by him/herself, as well as all the residents
together, have the right to realize their wishes, their needs,
and their concept of life within the framework of the offerings,
possibilities, and limitations of the farm in such a way that
they themselves can be satisfied ("happy"?) without disturbing
their fellow residents and the surrounding social context
in the translation of their wishes into reality.
The following general educational principles are therefore
valid for all residents of the community. Their realization
demands a specific therapeutic structuring of the everyday
situations, in which is it possible for the residents to develop
further in the sense of these goals -- each one, of course,
on his/her own particular level.
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