38yrs

female

Speaks English, Sign Language (ASL)

Hi there, my name is Raven and I am a Mother of two and currently attend American River College. I am working on my Psychology for transfer as well as my Occupational Therapy Assisting degrees. Long term I am working towards my life-long goal of a doctorate in Neuroscience. I am proficient in ASL as well as SEE and I have been teaching both of my children sign language since they were 4 months old. My original intent was to cut down on lack of communication tantrums by giving a non-verbal way to communicate to my children, not unlike the practice of PECS and sign for Autistic children and adults. It was very successful with my daughter who is now nearly 5 and it has been interesting with my son who is not quite 18 months. You can pick my brain any time about that!! I am quite the open book when it comes to matters with my kids and my theories but at the end of the day when I am with someone else's children THEIR rules rule the roost. I am easy going and can either 'take the bill by the horns' and run the show or take complete direction from someone else, either way I am very comfortable with it. In the past I have managed a house for severely Autistic adults and I found that it is a very rewarding venture to watch children and young adults change and evolve over time. Challenging? Always but more so than that always very very rewarding. I have also worked at a psychiatric crisis residential facility for severely symptomatic adults as well as home care agencies where I worked 1:1 with clients who experience a multitude of different developmental and psychological diagnosis. To me it's all about the person though and that is what has always made me successful in whatever job I have been fortunate enough to have. Every day is a new experience and it's just a matter of leaving myself open enough to it to grow. A closed mind and closed heart might be the only real obstacle that I have seen in the last 10 years of my career but with time all things progress and with enough hard work, dedication, stability, love, genuine kindness and selflessness I have found that I can form a bond with nearly anyone.