Jenna Matheny

Kim Zolnier

Potential Development Journal

April 18, 2019

Potential Development

Today, I had a great time at Potential Development. I got to learn a lot of new things and

I really enjoyed engaging with the children. The educators and staff were very helpful and eager

to teach. I observed so much and had an amazing time, and they even asked if we would want

to volunteer or even be employed there over the summer because of how engaging Shannon

and I were.

The role of the educator at Potential Development is to get the child to learn daily tasks

in life, and also to learn things that you would learn in preschool as well. We focused on arts

and crafts as well as learning the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors. The educator had us

help with potty training. The educators teach these children the life skills they will need in the

future. These educators have to take the extra steps involved with taking care of a child who

has delays though. They were very patient with the children and also soft spoken. They help the

children with sensory function (ex. Touch and sound). We got to go into the “sensory room”

and have the children relax for about 10 minutes in there and really stimulate their senses.

There were some physical health needs that I observed. One particular child has a

problem with certain textures, so he doesn’t eat solid foods. He will only eat baby food and

some soft textured foods. He was much smaller than the other children and was not growing as
fast as he should be. He has a twin who is almost doubled his size. This same child is also

nonverbal and doesn’t speak at all, so that affects his development as well. I noticed that these

children need certain things to stimulate them in a physical and also a mental aspect. We took

some time to play with a sand box to help them get used to touching and feeling different

textures. It also helped with creativity and let them express themselves through the sand.

Shannon and I got to observe occupational therapy being done with one of the children

to help him learn daily tasks, such as potty training and washing his hands. She explained to us

that she worked with this child for over a year and he has come such a long way since she

started. He is now able to feed himself with utensils and he lets someone know when he has to

use the restroom. He also engages in play with other children, especially on the playground.

The children seemed to love being outside, because they are seeing new sights and hearing

new sounds. They get to feel the grass, and also be around other children so it helps them

socialize with others.

Overall, I had an amazing experience and learned so many new things. I really liked

being able to work with these children and take the time to get to know them and how they

are. Observing was such a big part of this clinical and I really feel like I have a better

understanding about autism than I did before.