The Ability Hub

This is the Ability Hub, and the second day in practicum.

A quick summary of The Ability Hub is that they work with children ages 13+ who have an official diagnosis of autism.  There are multiple programs offered at The Ability Hub to supper different areas for people who have autism.  I'm part of the launch program.  All intake starts at Launch.  Launch is a transitional program to basically get parents thinking about what the next few years are going to be like for their autistic son/daughter.  Do they plan to go to school, work, volunteer, stay at home and do nothing?  Based on what is shared during the phone screen, we then create an ITP map (Individual Transition Plan).  During the phone screen we book an appointment to meet with client and guardian in person.  From there, there are follow ups and if other services are needed to be referred, we do that too.

On the first day we recieved orientation and today we listened in on a phone screening. I am so bad at talking to someone on the phone when there are others around me for some reason so I've been role playing out loud on my 30 minute drive to work :)  I think it's super helpful to me that when it is time to do a real one, I'll be ready.

A lot of practice is about connecting to theory and so hopefully every week I will find something to connect to.  So far I know that the Ability Hub works in a person centered framework, as said by Dr. Laura Ghali.

Person centered framework in social work language means: 

"The importance of listening deeply to the needs and concerns of individuals and groups within the constituent communities.  The facilitation of community self-perception.  The recognizition and encouragement of indigenous leadership.  The facilitation of the communication among divergent groups.  The identifiation of community goals" (Turner, p.70).
Book:  Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches

Dr. Laura and I sat down today to talk about how things were going and I was able to pick her brain about what some questions in the phone screen meant such as "client expectations".  A lot of the times parents will come in with their child and the child won't even know what meeting they're coming to because they haven't been involved in the process.  When children turn eighteen, depending on their function - they must either assign one or both or their parents to legal guardian or decide on their own that they are the guardians. 

Laura says often times the "client expectations" slot is unfilled during phone screenings because parents haven't bothered to ask their son/daughter what they want to do with their own lives.

Mishka Lysak during block week also touched on the fact that some children with disabilities when transitioning to an adult doctor have anxiety because they are so used to their parents doing everything for them that when the doctors talk directly to the client about medication or health, clients are unsure how to answer.  This is a big issue.

I think one of the areas parents don't like to think about is what is going to happen to their son/daughter once they are gone?  Who is going to take care of them?  I think instead of living in fear, the better plan would be to talk about it so that both parent and child know what's going to happen and how they're going to get there.

I think I will continue to keep a mental note about involving the client as much as possible in the decision process.  After all, it is the client who we are continuing to transition :)

That's all the reflection for now,  bye bye.

-Linda