It’s been a long, difficult year for staff and students in the program where I serve as a Behavior Interventionist. High staff turnover has led to a lack of consistency and predictability, undermining the felt sense of safety of our students and promoting premature burnout of our remaining staff from the increased workload. Needless to say, we were all heading into the last week before Spring Break on fumes.
Read MoreIt’s 7:45 on a Tuesday morning. The call that comes over my walkie talkie is not unfamiliar. “Skillet is needed on the bus. Skillet is needed on the bus.” Skillet, a tall, lanky golden doodle/labradoodle mix, is already on his feet before I take his leash and tell him that Sean needs his help. Sean is a middle school student with autism whose anxiety and overstimulation manifest as self-injury, verbal aggression and physical aggression. Bus rides can be so difficult that he wears a safety harness to and from school.
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