by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

Physical therapy student Leah Bickley signals to John, an autistic child, during one of her weekly volunteer visits. Bickley is one of dozens of MUSC students sharing their time and energy and gaining valuable experience through the Gives Back Program.

For Leah Bickley, the act of volunteering is as natural as using any of the body’s five senses for touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing. Bickley doesn’t take any of these things for granted, including volunteerism, and uses her spare time helping to teach a child with autism through the MUSC Gives Back Student Volunteer Program.

“I would like to think that giving something back to the community is one of the reasons anyone chooses to enter the medical profession,” said Bickley, from Newberry. “I don’t think any of us would be here (MUSC) if that weren’t true.”

Bickley, a first year physical therapy masters student in the College of Health Professions, credits her ease with helping others to her father, who served as an Army chaplain. “Whenever he was assigned to the hospital, I would go on rounds with him, especially to the oncology ward during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,”Bickley recalled.

Since coming to Charleston she has volunteered with Race for the Cure, Association for the Blind and done other hospital volunteer work since coming to Charleston. At the start of the fall semester, Bickley was tasked with exploring class volunteer programs throughout the Tri-County area.

One day following class, a flyer caught her eye regarding volunteer work with an autistic child. Autism, a developmental disability that affects the brain’s reasoning, social interaction and communications skills, strikes 15 out of every 10,000 individuals during the first three years of life. Bickley had prior experience working as a volunteer with special needs children at Whitesides Elementary School in Mount Pleasant and thought the match would be perfect for her. She contacted the child’s mother, Terri Sokevitz who explained her child’s needs.

Bickley remembers her first meeting with John in October. She was invited to observe him with his mother at home. Afterwards, Sokevitz gave her some books, notes and an educational tape about autism.

Sokevitz and her husband sought out volunteers to spend time with John after attending the Son-Rise workshop at the Option Institute in Sheffield, Mass. The Son-Rise program is a unique child-centered, home-based method designed to help children and adults with autism. Sokevitz was challenged to find open-minded and caring individuals to spend time with John. After brainstorming their options with John’s physician, they decided to narrow their search to speech and occupational therapy volunteers. Sokevitz learned about MUSC Gives Back and met with director Liz Sheridan.

“It was tough looking for the right volunteers. We knew we didn’t need people who just wanted to collect a paycheck,” Sokevitz said. “We were seeking people who wanted to be with our child and spend quality time with him out of the goodness of their hearts.”As a result, Sokevitz found four MUSC students to help with their endeavor.

Spending time with John in his surroundings can be a rewarding experience. Bickley said “There is a room that’s just for John. We go into this area and he spends most of his time in that room. He really needs that.

“When an autistic child has so many things going on at once, they can’t take it in. They can’t function.” Bickley said. “It’s like if you put on blurry glasses and turn on 50 different radios at once. That’s how autistics see their world. They can only take one thing at a time.”

As a therapist, Bickley often sees children with behavioral delays. “The challenge is learning how to interact and communicate with a child to help get a point across and introduce problem solving. You have to learn how to get on their level and make their work time, play time but yet, get your goals accomplished. Working with John, I’ve also learned how to deal with parents and make reasonable goals. Realistically, you have to set your boundaries because you can’t give the child or family false hope. You need to realize that you are just an accessory to this child for getting better.”

“It’s perfect to get this type of reinforcement for John,” Sokevitz said. “Years ago, physicians predicted that he would never interact with anyone outside his immediate family. Today, he’s already exceeded our expectations.”

Has the volunteer experience helped to confirm her decision to choose physical therapy as her future profession? “It really has,” Bickley said with a smile. “Hands-on experience— you never get enough of it. When you’re in class and learning so many things, it’s hard to see the practicality of it. When you get out there and interact, you get all the satisfaction and reinforcement, especially when a little boy says your name or actually grabs your hand. That helps to confirm why I’m doing this.”

“It's been a beautiful relationship,” said Sokevitz, who’s pleased at the growing number of MUSC students who’ve inquired about the program and want to get involved. “The students are incredibly loving, open-minded, supportive and share a willingness to learn. We feel truly blessed. It’s incredible that they come on a weekly basis, as busy as they are. Studying in the health professions, they’re all very bright and open. They readily make the time to spend with John.”

Asked how she balances volunteer work with a student’s busy schedule, Bickley smiles. “You look at your schedule and see what you can do, and realize your limitations and be honest in what you can give. It's reaffirmed me that I wouldn’t be in this field, if I didn’t want to give back in some way. There are times when its hard, especially during exams, but you just call them up and reschedule. These are the people who you are going to school for and to be there for. If you’re not really willing to do it now, what makes you think you’ll be willing to do it once you graduate. Our jobs are our dedication. If we can’t take it seriously as a student, I know it will get harder in the workforce. There, you’re in it for the long haul.”