Q & A - “What is your job?”
I am an Early Intervention therapist. I am licensed in the State of New York to work with children typically between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old who have been assessed to have learning or developmental disabilities. I am also contracted privately to work with children who either did not receive Early Intervention Special Instruction or who aged out of the program at 3 years old. I go into the children’s environment (home, daycare, nursery school) and work with them for a prescribed number of hours each week to help bring them up to speed on basic skills.
Every child is different. They all have different needs, different environments, different skills, different delays, so they all must be taught differently. But the thing they all have in common is that they have someone in their lives that cares enough to get them the support they need. I work tirelessly with my students and my families to get to the bottom of what might be causing their delays or difficulties, while simultaneously working to help them thrive in their current environment. I can’t cure autism. I can’t heal a child with cerebral palsy. But I can help to figure out what they love and what triggers them. I can help suggest tools and skills that can help them to cope so they can actually focus on learning. Basically, I help clear the environment and teach kids how to learn.
The phrase "the toughest job you'll ever love" was famously used as the Peace Corps' slogan, but I think it could very easily apply to my job, too.
The other half of my professional life for the past decade as I’ve raised my kids has been photography. It started small and simple, and has grown to be both a sustainable business and an artistic passion. I LOVE taking photos - especially of people and specifically of kids and families. I have spent the past three summers as the Photographer at Camp Nabby and it has taught me to be FAST, but it has also given me such a love for capturing the spirit of kids with my camera. I am also obsessed with the hair-flying antics of a kid on a trampoline. I also love portraiture and capturing the story of an event as it unfolds. You can see my work on my website if you want to check out what I do. If you have a younger child in the Hendrick Hudson district, chances are you’ve already seen some of my work in recent year’s yearbooks, Buchanan Day Camp, and - as I mentioned before - Camp Nabby. I’m so lucky that I get to work with kids in both aspects of careers that I chose and that I truly love.
