Every child a special child at Carlene’s Rainbow Academy

BAVINA SOOKDEO

Carlene Sharpe, 34, is a primary and special-needs-education teacher and the principal and owner/director of Carlene’s Rainbow Academy.

Through the academy, at 145 Realize Road, Princes Town, Sharpe works with children with various abilities, more specifically children on the autism spectrum.

Sharpe has a bachelor of education degree in primary and special education, and during her years of study, she met with several non-governmental organisations throughout Trinidad and Tobago, and volunteered her time to interact and be part of the autism community.

“After I graduated, I was grateful for the opportunity to work for a special-needs school, where I managed my own classroom with 11 autistic children with various learning styles and abilities.

"Although I had a full-time job, I was still able to volunteer my time to assist over 30 autistic children on weekends and this was because of my deep passion and love for them,” she said in an interview. “I am happy to say that I have learnt a lot during my seven years interacting with children on the spectrum.

"I am also very motivated and eager to learn more, so my journey will never stop as I aim to keep learning and developing new ways of improving myself as an individual.”

Sharpe told Newsday she started her own organisation specifically for autistic children "because of my natural ability to have patience and understanding towards children on the spectrum.

"I understand that this job is very demanding – it does not require you to be just a teacher, but a mother, doctor, psychologist, friend and so much more. To have this type of passion and love towards a job is not a gift but a blessing from the Father above, and honestly speaking, my mother was by biggest inspiration.”

Some of the challenges she faced when setting up her organisation for autistic children were "providing safety, finding the right resources, differentiation and finance.”

She overcame those challenges, she said, “By always improving the environment to prevent hazards, and I did so little by little.

"Now, instead of buying one item in each, I try to buy a few, to avoid confusion. In terms of differentiation, I got resources that was tailored for his/her learning styles.

"Finance was a big challenge because I found myself doing so many things at once. Now I have myself on a budget every month, and that is what I am focusing on.”

Accepting all students on the spectrum, Carlene’s Rainbow Academy, although working with the TT school curriculum, does not believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education.

Sharpe explained, “Instead, I tailor my instructions to meet each student’s unique needs and development.”

This includes not just academics, but also social and emotional needs.

The key features and programme offered at the academy are: individualised attention, small group settings, five:one teacher-to-student ratios, trained and passionate teachers and tutoring aftercare programmes.

Sharpe added, “I focus on the two main subject areas, mathematics and language arts, and I integrate other subjects areas within the curriculum.

"Although I am not a speech, occupational and behavioural therapist, I do integrate it into my teaching practice, because it is what we do on an everyday basis.

"We do encourage a lot of life skills, and our main goal is to help every child to be as independent as possible.”

Sharpe ensures she involves parents and caregivers by keeping them informed about their children’s behaviour/progress simply by sending a text, voicenote, e-mail or through verbal interaction.

“I plan to have more teacher-to-parent interaction by allowing them to be part of their children’s learning experience. I try to talk with the parents on a daily basis when they bring their children to school and when they collect them.”

In the long term, she also plans to create a mini-play park as well as a gym for autistic children to help with fine and gross motor skills and more.

“As time progresses, I hope to get funding to help with restructuring and maintaining the school so that children can always be comfortable.”

The academy is in partnership with Rahul’s Clubhouse, an autism-friendly space for autistic children and adults. There, she participates in a lot of the events and training to enhance the services she provides for her school.

“I am always looking for opportunities for myself and my staff to learn and develop news skills and techniques.

“We are passionate to continue looking for opportunities for our students, so if anyone in the public would like to contribute by offering training/courses, please reach out to us.

"Our aim and mission is to give each child an authentic experience, so we try to give them real life experiences such as taking them out on mini trips to see, explore and learn new things.”

Asked how she plans to address ongoing challenges or obstacles faced by people with autism and their families in TT, Sharpe said, “In order to manage challenging behaviour faced by individuals, we first have to understand why children behave in challenging ways. Once we are able to detect the root cause it will then help us as educators to work on how to respond or deal with the situation more effectively.

"Not every approach is going to work on every child, because everyone is different. It’s usually best to respond by guiding autistic individuals towards positive behaviour. Sometimes strategies like consequences, rules, quiet time, being stern and planning can help with challenging behaviour.

"One example of this is that when I am stern with some children, they are able to listen or stop their challenging behaviour.

"On the other hand, if I am too stern with other groups of students I might get the opposite reaction – they might develop more challenging behaviours.

"So in reality it boils down to knowing your students individually. My advice is to be as patient and understanding as possible.”

As Autism Awareness Month encourages greater understanding and acceptance of individuals with autism, Sharpe expressed hope for a more inclusive society.

“The message that I would like to convey to the community regarding the importance of supporting autistic individuals and promoting inclusivity is to keep up with the 21st century. It is important to educate yourself and invest time and effort on how to engage with people on the spectrum, and to do research or join small autism groups to learn more.

"Also, take the information that you have gathered and spread awareness, to increase acceptance of differences in our community.

"Understand that every child on the spectrum is different, so it is important to have patience and understanding. Be mindful that a child may not respond to you. Don’t be discouraged: use positive body and facial expression to get across your message.

"For other children you have to use one question at a time, to allow the individual time to process and respond. Be patient and be kind.

"Lastly, don’t be judgmental, but instead be curious, respectful, kind, and patient, while trying to help or engage with an individual with autism. Ask questions instead of talking about them negatively behind their backs.

"Every person on the spectrum deserves the same level of respect as anyone else.”