Margaret Mahoney Reflection – Parent-Mediated Intervention Tools for Children with Autism

Margaret Mahoney was awarded a Center for Global Health Student & Trainee Travel Grant in the winter of 2024 to pursue a project with Child Family Health International in La Paz, Bolivia. View more photos of her project in this Flickr photo gallery.

I have to say, reflecting upon my experience in La Paz, Bolivia to sum up in only 400-700 words is a challenge in and of itself. To encapsulate all the people I met, all the information I was provided, all the adventures I experienced, and all that I learned about myself during my time there is difficult, but it is a difficulty that I am grateful to have. Child Family Health International (CFHI) does an incredible job at filling your time and giving you opportunities to meet such wonderful people. Along with the staff, I was able to meet, work with, and learn from doctors, autism specialists, OTs and PTs during my time there. Through these people, I was able to learn so much about the health and education system in Bolivia to provide me with a foundation of knowledge to aid in starting my capstone project of developing toolkits/resources for non-specialized personnel to support children with autism.

I was fortunate enough to have many other CFHI students arrive to Bolivia during my time there. This led to several opportunities to go on incredible trips, including Death Road in Yungas, the Sun Island in Lake Titicaca, and the salt flats in Uyuni. These beautiful views and wonderful experiences led to a multitude of memories that I will be forever grateful for. The photos of some of these places I have included below do not do them justice, and I would say if you are ever given the chance to go to any of these locations, do it. Furthermore, the experiences and places in La Paz itself were absolutely wonderful as well, such as Valle de las Animas, Alasitas, Carnival, and all the delicious foods (salteñas, cuñapes, and charque oh my!!)

My time in Bolivia was for the completion of my capstone project during my final semester of OT school. As previously mentioned, I learned so much in terms of academic/medical information through the people I was able to meet and my own research. In addition to this, I was able to learn about children with autism and developing resources through my time at Virgen Niña and CEREFE Center, two locations that offer school, therapy and medical services conveniently in the same location. I did learn a lot in regards to being an OT through the completion of my capstone project, but my learning did not stop there in terms of academic and professional growth. The level of personal growth and inward reflection that I obtained during my time in Bolivia was immense.

I learned more about the power of genuine kindness, why you should always take your time with people, how humor is the best medicine, and the importance of learning to trust yourself. There is a genuine kindness embedded within the culture and community of Bolivia. Everyone is so welcoming, and that is something I wish to continue to implement and emphasize within my own life. Furthermore, there is a more laid back nature in the region. Less people are rushing and more people are taking their time with those around them. There is even the phrase of running on “Bolivian Time.” To be honest, my family has always had more lax mindset in regards to time, so it was nice to be in a place that also had this perspective on time and connection.

During my experience in Bolivia, everything did not go exactly according to plan, for example, there were awkward misunderstandings due to my own mistranslations in Spanish and my phone ended up being stolen when I had about two weeks left. I found that, unsurprisingly, letting my sense of humor shine through these moments was the best way to go about these things. Further, I learned a lot about how to best trust myself to adapt and respond to anything that was thrown my way during my time there. Overall, my experience in Bolivia is one that I will remember for a lifetime and one that will continue to have impacts on my life. It is a place that will always hold a special place in my heart and a place I will be returning to in the future.