Alyssa Crenshaw Email & Phone Number

As of June 17th 2024, I will have my Bachelors of Arts Degree in Family & Human Services, with double minors in Special (Accessible) Education and Disability Studies. I have extensive personal background, experience, and knowledge in providing trauma informed and neurodivergent affirming environments. I began volunteering with Camp Yakety Yak the summer before my freshman year of high school when I was 14 years old. I volunteered each summer in the role of a 1:1 aid with children who ranged from ages 5-15 with communicative and/or behavioral challenges, and typically with high ACE's scores; 2019 was my last summer volunteering here before the 2020 session would be entirely disrupted by the global pandemic. In 2021, I signed up as an intern and had the opportunity to experience being a Team Leader and witnessing much more of the behind the scenes work (move in & move out); my role however kept returning back to 1:1 as I find myself connecting with particular kiddo's and being able to take and apply feedback well. Following that, I became a paid staff member on the Camper Support Team, which is our Behavior Team that specializes in accommodations of all kinds and works close with 1:1's (volunteers, interns, grad students, etc), Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Mental Health Therapists, Autism Specialists, etc. My second year on the Camper Support Team just this past summer proved to be intensive in the sense that it strengthened my flexibility, communication, problem solving, and emotional regulation skills. My skills in AAC devices have additionally been able to skyrocket this summer (modeling without expectation, Gestalt Language Processing and Analytic Language Processing, navigating different apps, suggesting it to a family, etc)I have developed a strong relationship with a camper and her family that I've now worked with for two years who has a lot of trust and rapport built with me. I'm not her official Personal Support Worker, but her family is very keen on that being an opportunity in our future in regards to her struggle with 'demand avoidance'. I am familiar with the PDA profile/subgroup of Autism. I hope to continue working with children, adolescents, and emerging adults with developmental, intellectual, social, emotional, and/or behavioral disabilities in a wide range of settings.