Educational Goals Consist of Transferring

¶ … educational goals consist of transferring into a top-quality child development educational program such as that offered by the University of La Verne so that I may pursue a fulfilling career within the child development vocational setting. My long-term educational goals include achieving a four-year degree in Child Development with a minor course of study in Psychology. Ultimately, I hope to continue to the Master of Education Program at La Verne and achieve a Master of Education with special emphasis on early childhood developmental educational issues such as autism.

My previous educational efforts and my vocational and personal experience have always centered around children and early childhood development. Aside from the fact that I have always derived tremendous personal satisfaction from helping children and from witnessing their astonishing rate of development and learning, my vocational philosophy is that in order to achieve one's maximum potential, one must find a specific intellectual interest with connections to one's emotions and a sense of one's purpose in life. Relatively recent developments in my family have strongly contributed to my sense of long-term purpose within the general field of childhood education and development that has long been my passion. Ever since the discovery that my youngest cousin was diagnosed with autism, I have rededicated myself to pursuing the necessary academic credentials to contribute my talents and my best professional efforts to helping autistic children overcome the educational difficulties attributable to their condition. In the most general sense, this would provide a way of channeling my future vocational aspirations directly to an important childhood issue in the hope of making a meaningful difference in the lives of autistic children.

In that regard, I have always known that I would pursue a course of study in the general area of child development and early education, but without a more specific sense of purpose other than benefiting children. Since becoming familiar, on a first-hand basis, with the tremendous challenges faced by autistic children and their special needs, I have developed a much more specific interest in working as a Child Behavior Specialist, and hopefully, in some capacity that directly contributes to the needs of autistic children. My admission to the University of La Verne is my first step toward that goal because of the institution's excellent Special Education program.

On one hand, I realize full well that many childhood ailments and conditions are equally worthy of my efforts and that my eventual formal entrance into the field of early childhood development and special-needs education will come too late to help my cousin through his early educational experiences. On the other hand, I believe that if one's commitment to one's educational efforts and career goals derive from a heartfelt desire to help special-needs children overcome their disabilities, it is beneficial if a personal connection to special-needs children provides some of that motivation.

My academic and vocational interests in early childhood development predated the knowledge of my cousin's condition, but my involvement in his life since his diagnosis has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, already. While all childhood ailments and learning disabilities are equally deserving of attention and efforts to help children overcome their challenges, one aspect of autism in particular strikes me very hard. Specifically, my cousin [insert name] is a loving, intelligent child with potential to achieve a productive life. His intelligence is apparent in many ways, which makes his disability especially heartbreaking to me.

Whereas many learning disabilities limit a child's intellectual potential directly, the frustration of autism is precisely that it coexists with high intelligence so frequently.

The fact that autism prevents a child from applying his or her innate intelligence to the educational environment for the benefit of the child makes it especially important to help autistic children overcome their disabilities to whatever extent possible through targeted intervention techniques.

Obviously, that sentiment is not to diminish or in any way discount the corresponding importance of effective intervention with respect to the full spectrum of childhood developmental issues. But to be perfectly honest, the combination of this particular element of autism with the admitted relevance to my family generates a motivation on my part to devote my educational and professional life to helping autistic children.