Two principles that relate to my internship position are:
1- I will provide environments that are respectful of children and youth and sensitive to their developmental and individual needs.
2- I will support the right of all children and youth to have access to quality education, health, and community resources.
These two principles relate to my internship because I work with children in a school setting. Understanding their developmental and individual needs are vital for providing them with an appropriate classroom and learning environment as well as a safe place in counseling rooms. Not every student has the same learning needs and they aren't always at grade level developmentally. That is why some students may need resource rooms for certain subjects or even be in a self contained classroom. Also, in regards to individual needs, some student may need counseling, or extra help in specific subject areas with a one-to-one aide in a mainstream classroom.
Having a quality education and proper health care are also important. Children who have certain disorders may need to be on medication. If parents or families don't have adequate healthcare, these children may not be receiving the medications they need in order to help stabilize them and enable them to have a successful learning experience. Community resources are used at our school to help parents and families gain access to outside help or learn of different programs that may be beneficial to them and their children/ families.
These are all things that I have learned by being at my internship site and working with special needs children and attending transition fairs for severely developmentally delayed children. Working hands on with children that have specific needs and/or disabilities, it has shown me how important respecting them, understanding them and supporting them is.
