Shawn Marie Simon MA, BCET
Board Certified Educational Therapist
(805) 777 - 8182
Kidsriseabove@gmail.com

About Shawn Simon:

Shawn Simon has been in private practice for 25 years. She is a Board Certified Educational Therapist. She has been a classroom teacher and a resource therapist. Because Shawn was born with only one arm, she grew up knowing what it’s like to be different. Her struggles propelled her to want to work with children also labeled different, and her mantra became “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Her hope is to help her students feel more accepting and confident in who they are. After all, we are all unique and different in some way. Shawn is a published author, who enjoys life with her family, three dogs, and one 18 year-old cat. 

Her Areas of Specialization:

• Reading, which includes reading decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension

• Critical thinking, expressive writing, and basic math skills

• Visual and auditory processing deficits

• Teaching compensatory techniques and creating awareness of learning style and strengths

• Helping to develop a sense of empowerment and independence in your children

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development

• Master’s Degree in Special Education, with an emphasis in educational therapy

• Board Certified Member, Association of Educational Therapists

• Past Board Member, Association of Educational Therapists

Gillian Barreca MS, ET/P

What is an Educational Therapist?

• Educational therapists teach students how to learn. They are special educators who empower students, building their self-confidence and self-esteem.

• Educational Therapists have undergone unique training in specialized techniques designed to remediate learning disabilities, improve processing, and teach compensatory skills.

• An educational therapist works from both formal and informal assessments, tailoring intervention plans aligned with a student’s key strengths and areas of challenge.

• Educational therapy offers intensive one-to-one instruction in a professional and private therapeutic setting.

• Educational therapists work closely with other involved professionals and schoolteachers, and they develop a close, trusting relationship with the child and family.

• Educational therapy demystifies learning and stimulates a student’s awareness of their unique abilities allowing them to confidently approach any subject with the proper tools to be successful.

Stephanie DeYoung, BS

Executive Functions Specialist and Consultant

(480) 435 - 2445

Cognitionconditioning@gmail.com

About Stephanie DeYoung:

For the past 5 years, Stephanie DeYoung has been an Executive Functions Specialist who offers both consultation and family intervention services. Additionally, she has been an academic tutor and an educational paraprofessional. She has worked in various childcare and early education positions with children of all ages for a total of nearly 19 years. Stephanie is an avid reader and researcher who spends her free time enjoying her family and three cats.

Her Areas of Specialization:

• Critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Expressive writing and intermediate math skills
• Executive functioning and executive function deficits or delays
• Calendar and planner/agenda book use
• Backpack, binder, and desk organization
• Note-taking, test-taking, and study skills
• Neurodevelopmental disorders, which include Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Specific Learning Disorder

What is an Executive Functions Specialist?

• Executive Functions Specialist works collaboratively with families and individuals to promote lasting change.
• They teach compensatory techniques and create awareness of learning styles and executive function strengths and challenges.
• They introduce external tools to support internal function growth and help to establish new, consistent routines for using those external tools.
• The goals are to develop a strong sense of self-worth and the ability for individuals to self-advocate for their specific needs.
• Everyone has executive functions and it is never too late to make improvements, intervention aims to increase awareness and overall functionality.

Click here to download an informative brochure about our services!

Click here to download an informative brochure about IEPs