Even though our team is back in the U.S., the program in Jenin is continuing. On Saturday, the mothers in the cooperative met to practice and to discuss the next steps for helping their children with autism. They are hoping that awareness will continue to spread throughout the community and that they will continue to receive occasional outside support. We are currently working on coordinating the first follow-up Skype calls with some new volunteers. If you or someone you know has background in ABA and is interested in volunteering a few hours of time to provide feedback to mothers in Jenin, please contact me at: melissajdiamond@gmail.com. The times and days of the week are flexible and the mothers are very appreciative of the help.
While we have highlighted some milestones and exciting breakthroughs throughout the course of the program, I thought I would also share the data that shows the progress the mothers have seen in themselves and their children. At the beginning of the program we gave a survey to the mothers where we asked them to evaluate their children in different areas related to behavior, communication, and social interaction. They ranked their children on a scale of 1-5 (1 if they never see a behavior, 5 if they always see a behavior). We gave the first group of mothers the same survey at the end of the program in order to measure their progress.
Here are some of the most significant results:
You saw Mohammad’s exciting 3-word mand in his famous Gangnam style video, but here are some other areas in which his mother noticed the most progress:
+4 points: using 3-4 word phrases
-2 points: aggression toward self
-2 points: aggression toward others
-2 points: restrictive and repetitive behaviors
Although Abed had some difficulty transitioning to and from the center during our final weeks in Jenin, it did not stop him from making great progress at home:
+2 points: interaction with peers in play
+2 points: responds to name by turning and looking
+2 points: responds to name with eye contact
-1 point: restrictive and repetitive behaviors
+2 points: receptiveness of community to child’s behaviors in public
While Adnan still knows what he wants and will do whatever he needs to do to get it, he has become more responsive to those around him and his mother learned some great skills for handling his behaviors both at home and in public:
+1 point: using 3-4 word phrases
+2 points: responds to name with eye contact
+3 points: receptiveness of community to child’s behaviors in public
+3 points: comfort handling child’s behaviors at home
+3 points: comfort handling child’s behaviors in public
Both Basil’s father and mother are doing everything they can to make their home a nurturing environment for Basil. After doing some research and seeing his love of animals, they decided to buy him a horse! Although Basil still loves waving toys in front of his eyes, his mother has seen a significant decrease in problematic behaviors at home:
-3 points: restrictive and repetitive behaviors
These are just a few of the milestones reached over the past three months. More photos and videos to come! We have an excellent video where the mothers reflect on their child’s most significant accomplishment in the program. It is in the process of being translated. In the meantime, if you have not watched the Reflections from Jenin video, check it out here to see what the mothers have to say about their experience in the program.
Thank you for your support!
-Melissa Diamond
The Jenin Autism Project 