Welcome to my site! My name is Ysela Heim and I am an Exceptional Student Consultant. As a consultant, I help parents and guardians of students with disabilities navigate through the educational process. I primarily work with families of Broward County students, but also have worked with families in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County schools. My main role is educating families on policy and procedures while making sure that the student's individual needs are met. Creating positive and collaborative working relationships with everyone involved is imperative for student success.
I became an Exceptional Student Consultant shortly after my son was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. I learned that as our children grow older, more decisions need to be made on there educational needs and priorities. Education and tapping into resources is key so we can then become better advocates and decision makers for our children. I enjoy helping families navigate through the process. Additionally, there are several amazing organizations that are specific to your child's disability. School districts typically offer workshops, the internet is full of FREE tips, and there are groups you can join for support. These in turn will help you understand your child's differences and perhaps create a support network for yourself and your family. It is my hope that this website will be used to: help families of special needs children access my services if needed, find appropriate resources, and find comfort in the blog by reading stories of challenges and successes for children similar to their own.
My office provides Educational Advocacy and we are here to support families. I have added two amazing Advocates/Consultants to my team. Rita and Raquel have now been with me for awhile and bring not only personal experiences to the table but have also learned from me as I was their children's advocate for several years. For any families that are fortunate enough to work with them, we are all a team and I will still personally consult on their cases as well. Feel free to explore our site and contact us if you feel my office can help. We look forward to assisting you with your children's exceptional educational needs
I became an Exceptional Student Consultant shortly after my son was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. I learned that as our children grow older, more decisions need to be made on there educational needs and priorities. Education and tapping into resources is key so we can then become better advocates and decision makers for our children. I enjoy helping families navigate through the process. Additionally, there are several amazing organizations that are specific to your child's disability. School districts typically offer workshops, the internet is full of FREE tips, and there are groups you can join for support. These in turn will help you understand your child's differences and perhaps create a support network for yourself and your family. It is my hope that this website will be used to: help families of special needs children access my services if needed, find appropriate resources, and find comfort in the blog by reading stories of challenges and successes for children similar to their own.
My office provides Educational Advocacy and we are here to support families. I have added two amazing Advocates/Consultants to my team. Rita and Raquel have now been with me for awhile and bring not only personal experiences to the table but have also learned from me as I was their children's advocate for several years. For any families that are fortunate enough to work with them, we are all a team and I will still personally consult on their cases as well. Feel free to explore our site and contact us if you feel my office can help. We look forward to assisting you with your children's exceptional educational needs
Meet Raquel:
Raquel Cicini, is a mother of a child on the autism spectrum who has experienced a wide-range of modalities in the areas of behavior and educational training to include 20 years of specified crisis negotiation certified training from law enforcement on human behavior and 13 years of personal experience and training in the area of Applied Behavior Therapy. Raquel brings the understanding that no single approach is right for every individual child. She is highly regarded for her professional and positive collaborative efforts within the educational system.
Her educational background includes a BLS in Social Work and Psychology from Barry University, North Miami, FL.
Raquel Cicini, is a mother of a child on the autism spectrum who has experienced a wide-range of modalities in the areas of behavior and educational training to include 20 years of specified crisis negotiation certified training from law enforcement on human behavior and 13 years of personal experience and training in the area of Applied Behavior Therapy. Raquel brings the understanding that no single approach is right for every individual child. She is highly regarded for her professional and positive collaborative efforts within the educational system.
Her educational background includes a BLS in Social Work and Psychology from Barry University, North Miami, FL.
Meet Rita:
It's a pleasure to introduce myself to you and tell you a bit about my journey. Since at a very young age, I always knew I wanted to make a difference. Be a voice for those that were either unable or did not know how to. Becoming a mother was my most important goal, and thank God, my greatest achievement. I became a mom in 1998 with twin boys who started out with challenges, having been born premature. As a first time Mom, I knew that from their prematurity could follow some other challenges so I made sure to be observant of every detail. Luckily, the challenges that I faced were not severe but had some drawbacks when it came to their education and the manner in which they needed to learn. With much frustration, as a new parent would have with the structure of their educational needs, I was introduced to Ysela. It is said that people come into your life at the right time and for a purpose. That was the turning point to which my voice would learn to help others. I learned with every meeting we had as Ysela helped my sons needs. Soon I was handling my own IEP meetings and then branched out to attending meetings for friends to assist them with the needs of their children. Soon there after, I began to work with Ysela. I am currently working on receiving my Certification as a Guardian and hope to reach out and help with the needs of the elderly, disabled and veterans.
It's a pleasure to introduce myself to you and tell you a bit about my journey. Since at a very young age, I always knew I wanted to make a difference. Be a voice for those that were either unable or did not know how to. Becoming a mother was my most important goal, and thank God, my greatest achievement. I became a mom in 1998 with twin boys who started out with challenges, having been born premature. As a first time Mom, I knew that from their prematurity could follow some other challenges so I made sure to be observant of every detail. Luckily, the challenges that I faced were not severe but had some drawbacks when it came to their education and the manner in which they needed to learn. With much frustration, as a new parent would have with the structure of their educational needs, I was introduced to Ysela. It is said that people come into your life at the right time and for a purpose. That was the turning point to which my voice would learn to help others. I learned with every meeting we had as Ysela helped my sons needs. Soon I was handling my own IEP meetings and then branched out to attending meetings for friends to assist them with the needs of their children. Soon there after, I began to work with Ysela. I am currently working on receiving my Certification as a Guardian and hope to reach out and help with the needs of the elderly, disabled and veterans.