Memorable Moments
(Resident/client names have been omitted for confidentiality)My most memorable moment was when B. was in Classroom 3. She was difficult to assist with the meals - she took a long time to eat and was difficult accepting the food. One day, she took my hand and took the spoon to her mouth. I tried hand-over-hand with her and she surprised me by feeding herself! No one would believe it - not even the Administrator. I asked her to come down to watch...B. took the spoon and fed herself. It really made my day. No one knew she was capable of feeding herself until that day.
Sheri Johnson - at ECTC since 1981
2-10 Resident Care Specialist
One of my most memorable moments was when we had an Activity Aide named Andrew who played music. One day he was outside playing the guitar for a group of residents. H. was in the back row. He got so excited that he started to move some of the chairs so he could get to the front. He had this big smile on his face. He was so excited that he wanted to touch the guitar. The guitar belonged to Andrew and was very expensive, but Andrew let H. hold it because he could tell that it would mean a lot to H. The expression on H.'s face was something you just wouldn't forget.
Sue Martinez - at ECTC since 1981
Activity Director
Along with the Foster Grandparent in my room Grandma Jen, I learned that R. knew signs and could feed himself. We worked with him by giving him responsibilities. He began to use sign language a little bit and to get his program materials out of his cupboard and put them away. If he really liked the aide in the room he would pull on my smock top, push me toward the door and wave Bye Bye! I had some really good aides and we always worked very hard on communication skills with R.
Another favorite is when J.'s behavior program started to have good results because his communication programs really took off. Using the communication board and insisting that staff followed his behavior plan, helped J. evolve into the gentleman he is today.
Another favorite is when L. picked up her glass of milk and drank from it herself and then put it down independently. She only did it once to my knowledge but she worked on that program for years.
Another is when C. got a new name sign (sign language). We worked on him having signed names for peers. First he would acknowledge that the name sign would go with the person, and then we would write the person's name using the big ABC puzzle with the letter holder. I would put the first letter in the tray and C. could put the next and so on or I would write the name and leave out the first letter and C. would put it in. Then we would do the sign and point to the person. He was really good at that.
Dianne McFadden - at ECTC since 1987
Quality Assurance Coordinator
When I had Classroom 1, I was assigned to work with J. I had heard he did not want to interact with anyone. For some reason, when I looked into his beautiful eyes, I knew I had a job ahead of me. I did a lot of 1:1 with him with extra attention. I also started to call him by the Spanish version of his name. Pretty soon, he would give me eye contact and started to come or look at me when I said his name. It took about 4-5 months before he responded to me. Even though I don't work with him as often as I once did, he still remembers his "Spanish name".
Paulette Hamas - at ECTC since 1997
Day Training Resident Care Specialist