Teen Using Gift of Music to Give Back to the Autism Project
Teenager giving back to the organization that assisted her in changing her life!
The Autism Project is well-known for providing training, support, and guidance to those with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their wider families. More than 2% of the population in the United States is on the autism spectrum.
One teenager is now giving back to the organization that assisted her in changing her life. Meghan Rinaldi, 19, began her journey with the Autism Project after she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when she was two years old. She started receiving services and assistance when she was five.
“I was non-verbal, and I couldn’t make eye contact with anyone,” she recalled. Non-verbal is a subset of autism. Being non-verbal means that the person doesn’t learn how to speak, and it’s estimated that 25-50% of children diagnosed with ASD never develop spoken language.
From an early age, thanks to assistance from the Autism Project, Meghan made meaningful progress, even attending their summer first as a camper and then as a volunteer. Finally, last summer, she was hired to work there as a paid counselor.
“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “I thought it was just one thing, now I want to help in a musical way.”
Now a freshman at the University of Rhode Island, Meghan has begun a five-year program studying music therapy studies. Despite the time commitment to her studies, Meghan still has a strong and meaningful commitment to the Autism Project, where she continues to work with other children and teenagers with ASD.
“I was rewarded with this gift, and now I want to be able to give, to help, to see their smiles when they are playing music games,” Meghan said. “I just want to help people. It’s OK to have autism, it’s OK to embrace it, I want people to know with any disability that it’s OK.”
Recently, the Autism Project received a grant from the Rhode Island Department of Health to add additional staff to address the growing needs of Spanish-speaking families in the state. Thanks to the grant, the Autism Project was able to add an additional bilingual family support staff member to better address the needs of Spanish-speaking families and their children.
Iris Calderon, and her son Matthew, are just one of the families that are benefitting from programs for Hispanic families working through a new autism diagnosis.
Teen Giving Back to the Autism Project Through the Gift of Music – Conclusion
It shows that being diagnosed with ASD is in no way a limit to what you can achieve in life. Thanks to the Autism Project, children across the United States are able to achieve their full potential, but they can’t do it alone. Check out the Autism Project Website to see how you can help.
As with anything, the more awareness we can raise, the better off we’ll all be, especially those dealing with the challenges of being on the spectrum themselves during the busy and bustling holiday period.
If you have any questions about autism products or would like to find more information about sensory products, then please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly. Our friendly and professional team is standing by to assist you.
