Centre College's Laura Hansen interning at UAB

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DANVILLE, KY (07/01/2010)(readMedia)-- Laura Hansen of Pinson, a rising junior at Centre College in Danville, Ky., is interning with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Sparks Clinic. The clinic helps a variety of children with special needs, including those with autism.

"I've always had an interest in working with children with autism, so I began searching for an internship in Birmingham where I could see how autism is diagnosed," Hansen says.

The internship is providing her with the opportunity to explore several career options. "I've always planned to do something involving clinical psychology in the future," she says. "However, I'm still deciding in what direction I'd like to go."

When not in the autism clinic, Hansen shadows patients as they see therapists throughout the clinic.

"I've observed children as young as three and as old as 14 as the Sparks therapists try to diagnose exactly what is different about each child," Hansen says. "The clinic offers a rare chance to see the multifaceted process of diagnosing disorders within children."

Hansen is the daughter of David and Patricia Hansen of Pinson and is a graduate of Jefferson County International.