Maurice Snell
23 | His work is a return to his roots.
Every Wednesday, the Sun-Times Business Section features a mystery occupation. See if you can guess the job before the end of the interview.
What do you like the most about your work?
Meeting new people, spending time with students. That makes every workday special for me.
What do you do with the students?
Students with high functioning autism, I ask them to express themselves the best way they can to make them feel comfortable speaking. I tell them to open up, keep going no matter what, keep trying and excel at what you can.
What do you in the classroom?
I work with peer groups with some of the students just to get them more involved in the work that they do. They need an authority figure in the classroom just to get them more involved.
Sometimes I help them with cooking groups. I train them to follow instructions, like reading a recipe, determining ingredients and the measurement. I tell them how much time it would take for food to get done, and then they enjoy their snack. There are peer groups from the occupational therapy department, the speech department.
What's a typical exercise in the speech department?
I sometimes demonstrate different feelings, like how would you make a sad face, how would you express your anger.
What are some of your other responsibilities?
Assisting the administrator.
Did you attend college?
I went to St. Xavier University on the Southwest Side of Chicago. I majored in liberal arts. I graduated in May 2006.
How have your responsibilities expanded in the past year?
I go to different places across the United States and tell people the experience I had here and what (this organization) can do for those who are living with autism. So I'm here to deliver a message. People who don't know about autism want to learn more about it.
What do you tell them?
I tell them always continue to give hope, that autism is random... not just your children have it. It happens in other children. But the best way to live through autism is one day at a time. Do not feel pressured about it. Do not feel stressed. You have to get accustomed and show appreciation and love to that individual.
How have your earlier experiences here helped prepare you for this work?
I came here at the age of 6. They helped me change my perspective. When I first entered, I was crying. I did not want to talk. I was shy. But they helped me to dig deep into myself, come out of my shell to be the creative Maurice Snell that is here today.
Do you see yourself doing this job long-term?
This is a good start for me, reuniting with the family I fell in love with here when I was a child. It is a great feeling. I am planning to go to graduate school. I'd like to major in special education. I was thinking about becoming a developmental trainer. Otherwise I'd be a teacher, a special ed teacher.
Maurice Snell, who was diagnosed with autism at age six, is employed as an administrative assistant, classroom aide and mentor at Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago's Therapeutic Day School. He also is the Easter Seals 2007 National Adult Representative.