About the Role
Partners in Autism offers professional learning experience opportunities that help students in our community grow in their understanding of quality disability services and in their appreciation of the diverse individuals those services support.
The Partners in Autism Internship Program is designed to immerse students at the secondary and post-secondary levels in the specific area of disability services most aligned with their academic goals. Partners in Autism Internship Program includes only unpaid positions.
Requirements
Internships at Partners in Autism always occur in conjunction with the student’s educational institution and coursework. Before any internship placements begin, the student must complete the Internship Placement Application. If accepted, Partners in Autism will need to be able to connect with the student’s instructor/academic mentor to discuss the institution’s expectations, requirements, and whether an MOU is needed. Once an arrangement has been reached between Partners in Autism and the educational institution, internships can begin.
Partners in Autism offers different internship paths to suit different academic or interest goals. There are three “Focused Paths” depending on the intended clients and one “Exploration Path.” The Focused Paths are outlined below. The Exploration Path will sample select experiences from each of the Focused Paths as appropriate.
To maximize the enrichment of the intern, Partners in Autism has filled each path with diverse and progressive experiences. These experiences have been divided into three tiers for each path. The number of tiers an intern progresses through depends on their aptitude and rate of skill development as well as the length of their internship. Their duties within each tier have been ranked by priority (which also correlates with the proportion of time spent on each duty). Progression is cumulative and thus, for example, an intern may continue to spend time on tier one duties in between completing tier two duties.
Youth | Education | Adult/Employment | |
Tier 1: Primary | College students: Complete RBT modules and fill-in for therapy. High school students: research, propose, and prepare activities for the arts and sensory area. | Develop and deliver a language lesson plan with activities highlighting a specified book or set of books. | Shadow multiple job positions in Waiver and Employment Services. |
Tier 1: Secondary | Provide lunch support in the ABA kitchen/snack area. | Lead group time (“circle time”). | Research local businesses and organizations and input data into internal spreadsheet. May reach out via email or phone utilizing a script. |
Tier 1: Tertiary | Update client boards and maintain organization of rooms and shared spaces. | Create and prepare class worksheets for specified topics and skills. | Maintain organization and cleanliness of training room/spaces. |
Tier 2: Primary | Host activities in the arts and sensory area. Research, propose, and prepare classroom activities when not engaging with clients. | Research, propose, and prepare science, math, art and language lessons for the Transitional Classroom and the Learning Center. | Research, compile, and organize interview questions by occupation category to form scripts for mock interviews. |
Tier 2: Secondary | Shadow multiple job positions. | Plan and lead movement breaks. | Assist with preparation for and execution of social group events. |
Tier 2: Tertiary | Prepare program materials and deliver parent notes/ RBT supervision logs. | Review completed work for the Learning Center. Provide feedback and assist students as needed. | Prepare and lead Life Skills sessions. Prepare discussion guides and other materials for the Employment Support Group. |
Tier 3: Primary | Lead classroom activities in the Transitional Classroom. | Develop and host activities for stations. Create small group lessons. | Create social reference guides and other specified client resources. |
Tier 3: Secondary | Assist with preparing new client rooms. | Develop and lead Project Based Learning programs. | Research and propose engaging vendor table activities for a range of ages. |
Tier 3: Tertiary | Continue to assist with clerical work. | Update class bulletin board. Print A-Z books. | Assist with filing. |