Autism Treatment Center of America Forum

[GraceLide]

Hi,

My name is Cailin, I am 24, and I am currently in my 7th (non-consecutive) month of volunteering at the Option Institute, where I have mostly worked in the World Wide Communications Department, learning about and promoting the Son-Rise program! I was first introduced to Son-Rise and Option through my mother who runs a Son-Rise based Speech-Language Pathology practice called The Speech Playroom Inc., and my passion for and wonder of the program has only increased. As part of my job here, I have seen every recovery and playroom video, observed Child Facilitators working with children in Intensive Programs, and sat in on portions of all three Son-Rise programs. At the same time, I am working on my beliefs, and implementing the Option Process into my life. As I have watched so many parents come here believing that they didn't know how to play, that grown-ups have to be serious, or that they didn't have what it takes to be useful to their children, and leave with all of these beliefs dropped, ready and excited for every moment in the playroom, I have started to believe that maybe I could do this too. I have very limited playroom experience, and I don't know if I have what it takes, but I would love to just jump in anyway, trust that everything is for the best, and have some fun hanging out with an awesome kid. So if you live anywhere near the Option Institute and you would like the opportunity to practice your training skills with a willing and Option-primed volunteer, please contact me! The current plan is to be here through at least February, and Option is a little bit of a home base for me, so it's likely that I will be back. I have weekends, many evenings, and some odd weekday shifts off. The biggest obstacle (opportunity!) is that I do not drive, so a ride to and from Option would be very appreciated, but if this isn't a possibility, I may be able to finagle one from another volunteer, and maybe get you another volunteer or more in the process! 2 or 3 or 5 for 1! Please email me using the email button on this page. I look forward to hearing from you!

Cailin

[Sylvia]

Dear Cailin,
You posted quite some time ago but I thought I would reply. We live in NYC but have a weekend home in Washington CT. We are just starting our Son-Rise journey but plan to make a playroom at our weekend house. We are in the area roughly 2x/ month and every weekend in the summer. We will be recruiting volunteers in the near future. So I wanted to reach out to see if you are still available. If not, I would love it if you could share my post with other volunteers who may be looking to volunteer with a family.

Thanks,
Sylvia