I feel proud when I talk about this because I can teach and learn all the time. My experience as a teacher was when I saw that my communication with children was very good.

Then, I started my program and I am passionate about my profession. That's why I chose Dsw. I believe that people can achieve more than they imagine. I'm anxious forward to start class practics.

Sincerely,

Tassia Santos,

Student DSW Program

Throughout the course, especially this semester, I gained an idea of what a personal philosophy is. What you learned throughout placement and college. This semester was special because I could see firsthand the real lives of people with developmental disabilities. I saw their needs, experiences, interactions, and crises, and it was a very valuable experience to be able to accompany, learn, and teach.

Also, during the placement and in conversations with my supervisor, she asked what marked me most during the entire placement, and without a doubt, it was the human side. I learned how much more human we should be. I became more human, seeing the situations and how people with developmental disabilities need care, need us.

My personal approach is to get to know the person, their tastes, preferences, and then start acting in a way that makes them feel comfortable and happy. Knowing that people with developmental disabilities have several diagnoses, we must be prepared to act assertively. In this way, I achieve great success in activities and procedures. Incorporating activities that are within the person's interests, strategic thinking, and promoting processes that aid learning, whether personal care, interactions, games, etc.

I saw the more human side of the profession. Even having learned everything in college, nothing compares to the real-life experience, day-to-day life, lunchtime, dinner, bath time, assisting with medication administration, moments of refusal, moments of assistance, one helping the other – this is very good. I learned that there are good professionals and not-so-good professionals. People who do a good job and truly care, and others who just do their job. Where there is real indifference, they are only there to work; there is no empathy, no conversation, which is what the person often wants, just to talk. Seeing this, I became a better person, because I felt and saw how important my profession is. But I don't mean important to society in general, I mean to the people I support. Perhaps they don't feel or don't know how to explain how important we are to them and that with each interaction, they become important to us too.

I honor people with developmental disabilities, and I value their inclusion, independence, and dignity. I try in every way to keep them within the system, trying to keep them as close as possible to society, through conversations, interaction, participation, and even putting their ideas into practice. I ask questions, I let them decide; they need to feel independent and secure in their actions.

There are some situations that are difficult. And each person will require a different skill from me; it's part of it, I'm a professional. And as a professional, I have to be willing to change my skills and strategies for each person. That's why I always say that they change us too; we receive learning and a new skill with each person we support. Being open to new changes brings an immense amount of experience and humanity, which is immensely necessary in this profession; without it, the work will never be validated.

Karyn Harvey PTSD Video - Summary

  In the Karyn Harvey PTSD Video, she discusses the types of trauma, which she calls minor and major traumas. Minor events occur daily and repeatedly, even within the school itself, caused by other students, teachers, and staff. This type of bullying causes serious trauma in people with developmental disabilities as well.

  She defines major traumas, for example, those of physical and sexual abuse, and compares them to minor events that normally occur day after day, in comparison to major traumas, both of which bring post-traumatic stress.

  Karyn also comments on how to identify post-traumatic stress. Usually, people who suffer some type of abuse, whether physical, sexual, or psychological, don't say anything, but they start behaving differently, they become silent, feel guilty, are ashamed, feel like a bad person, that's why "things happen to me," and have explosive behaviors.

  As professionals, we must be attentive to the types of abuse to prevent future trauma. And we must understand that people with developmental disabilities also need therapy to help them cope with trauma.

  In class, we discussed the care we must take when analyzing behavior, which is often a reflection of what the person is experiencing. It's necessary to ask questions, not to make accusations or hold preconceived notions.

  Regarding the types of trauma discussed, there are no minor or major traumas; there are the most common ones, which, as discussed in Karyn's video, are "bullying," usually occurring in schools and often going unnoticed.

  An important point addressed in both videos was the lack of support and effective services. For example, a person who needs support to communicate through assistive technology, and does not receive adequate support (the caregiver doesn't know how to use a computer, for example), how will that person be supported?

  I believe the most important point in both videos was to have an analytical perspective and support the person, showing that we can help. The person needs to talk so that the necessary treatments can be implemented. Unfortunately, we cannot undo the traumas in a person's mind, but we can help them overcome them and prevent them from happening again.