A while back I decided to write up a log from a couple of shifts just to look back and evaluate what I had experienced in the day; below is one that I wrote on 17/09/14. As my work was based so much on the people I work with I felt it would be an appropriate way on analysing the information I may need, on them on a day to day basis.
Daily work log
Service Users that I work with-
-R.A.
-S.R.
-R.S.
-S.B.
-J.P.
17/09/14
I have been employed at the company ‘Spectrum’ since the beginning of July 2014. They are a Cornwall based company that specialise in the care of people who are on the autistic spectrum. Based in one house working with five particular individuals, whose behaviours and characteristics all vary. So I feel that as my project will be focussed on these individuals and their diagnosis’ of autism, that writing about them in the days I am working with will help with my understanding and experiences, as well as inspiration for my project. Wednesday was my first day back after a few weeks break, so felt that I needed to adjust to being there again, more so for the service users to feel comfortable with me. I spent the morning working with R.S. the eldest of the five, he spends most of his time in the garden, wandering, picking at the trees and bushes, “twigging” where he rips apart the sticks and leaves and sometimes chews on them. He was in a happy mood and content being outside, so was keen to go on a walk around the block. It was a quiet, slow paced walk that made me see and appreciate how he wanders from tree to tree, pausing and taking enjoyment and therapy from such a small action of tearing them to pieces.
Later on during the day I sat in on R.A.’s art therapy session, where he sat for an hour rapidly drawing pictures of everything that he likes, (he tends to obsessively list things in categories e.g. washing machines, dishwashers, plunger etc) he continuously drew and repeated himself. R.A. was very loud and repetitive throughout the day and not settled at any point. To the extent that when doing his puzzle there was no break in what he was saying to the staff “Money, money, we’ll see money”, phrase is his way of enquiring and demanding going out of the house which he associates with spending money. To keep him calm we chose to take him on a walk to Coombe. Then later on in the evening he did his personal diary where he asks staff to list things he likes, however he got himself worked up and had to be directed to another activity to prevent him coming any further off baseline.
amyjefferrs 