{"id":28917,"date":"2025-04-10T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandbox3.foxtrotdev.com\/?p=28917"},"modified":"2025-03-27T12:38:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T16:38:52","slug":"celebrating-autism-acceptance-month-meet-ciara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandbox3.foxtrotdev.com\/?p=28917","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month: Meet Ciara"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t know it to talk to her now, but Ciara wasn\u2019t always as outgoing as she is today. As an assistant floater teacher at Bel Air\u2019s Childtime Learning Center, she\u2019s friendly, talkative, and thrives in her role working with children from infancy through pre-kindergarten. But growing up, she describes herself as a \u201cwithdrawn\u201d teen, hesitant to step outside her comfort zone.<\/p>\n

Ciara\u2019s confidence began to blossom in 2018 when she started working with peer mentors who encouraged her to step beyond her comfort zone. Through their support and guidance, she gradually built essential life and leadership skills, learning how to form meaningful friendships and become more engaged with her community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had amazing instructors that helped me with developing friendship skills and leadership skills,\u201d Ciara says. She put those skills to good use, moving from program participant to peer mentor so she could give back by helping others navigate the same situations she faced. \u201cI want to help others who are having the same struggles, who need help with different goals and skills, in order to help them become more independent,\u201d she adds. With an instructor and another mentor, she does this through planning discussions and hands-on activities for her peers.<\/p>\n

Ciara also applies these skills in her job at Childtime, where she has worked for the past three and a half years. Three days a week, she assists teachers, covers breaks, and supports children throughout their daily routines. She especially loves working with different age groups and getting to experience the variety each classroom offers.<\/p>\n

Supporting her in this journey is Humanim Direct Support Professional-Job Coach Lionel Harris<\/a>, who checks in with her regularly to ensure she has the tools she needs to succeed. \u201cIf I need any support, I tell Lionel the things that I need help with, especially with being afraid to ask for clarification, and he gives me tools for that,\u201d Ciara explains. From problem-solving strategies to practical tips like setting phone reminders for clocking in and out, these small adjustments have helped her grow in confidence and independence.<\/p>\n

Outside of work, Ciara\u2019s life is filled with many of her favorite activities, both through private organizations and through the Special Olympics. She participates in special needs dance classes and recitals, adaptive fitness classes, and social clubs that host events in person and over Zoom, including trivia nights and karaoke. She\u2019s been with the Special Olympics for 13 years and credits the excellent coaches and supportive teammates with increasing her self-confidence, making her a better athlete and teammate, and teaching her sportsmanship skills.<\/p>\n

A multiple medal winner in swimming in the Special Olympics Summer Games, she\u2019s training to return, working through two qualifiers to get into the 2025 Games. Last year, she won gold in the breaststroke, which is a particularly challenging style to master. It\u2019s quite an accomplishment for someone who was afraid to even get into the water when she first started.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to get in the pool, actually,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThen I just kind of taught myself. We\u2019re all scared to do stuff, but it\u2019s okay if we conquer those fears and just try. It\u2019s about having that positive self-reflection of knowing, \u2018I can do this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ciara\u2019s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, community, and self-belief. As we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, her story reminds us that confidence and success come in many forms, and that with the right support, anything is possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You wouldn\u2019t know it to talk to her now, but Ciara wasn\u2019t always as outgoing as she is today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,21],"tags":[34,16,19],"class_list":["post-28917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-our-impact","tag-developmental-disabilities","tag-human-services","tag-workforce-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCelebrating Autism Acceptance Month: Meet Ciara - Humanim<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sandbox3.foxtrotdev.com\/?p=28917\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month: Meet Ciara - 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