After taking custody of my autistic son, Brian, our family was blessed to meet Valerie Aprahamian over 10 years ago. Since then, she continues to be our family's hero and friend. Valerie has attended every IEP, come to home meetings, and introduced us to specific programs both privately and through the school district. Valerie has assisted us every step of the way in developing an individual program that would meet Brian's needs. When we met Valerie, Brian was nonverbal and in a severely handicapped county program. Since having Valerie in his life, Brian is excelling and is a happy, loving, motivated, and most of all, typical teenager. Without Valerie, there would be no collaborative IEP team and no committed plan of action and proper programming without her years of dedication and hard work. Valerie is a champion at fighting for the rights of each and every child with special needs. Having Valerie in your court will set you at ease and you will deal with every challenge knowing your child has the best.
Ron and Liz, RUSD
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When my son, Troy, and I walked into Valerie's office for the first time, we were both very nervous. By the time we left, we both were overwhelmed with a sense of relief. Years of anger, frustration, and tears over Troy's educational experience had been replaced with a sense of hope. Even though I am a teacher myself, I continued to struggle for years to get the school system to help my son and had been largely unsuccessful. With Valerie's support and knowledge of special education law, we got the school to listen. I was no longer alone in my struggle. Together we navigated the evaluation process and developed IEP goals and objectives that were in my son's best interest. Even now, as the school system continues to fail my son, Valerie is there to guide me through the next phase of the battle. I don't think I could have done this alone. It truly has been a blessing to have someone like Valerie advocate for my son.
Lisa , RUSD
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We had no idea where to begin after our son was diagnosed with Autism when he was three. Valerie was able to guide us in getting the services that our son was entitled to and has been an integral part of his IEP team for the last six years. We would be lost without her.
Susan, CNUSD
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My son's learning disability was keeping him from learning. He is now in High School and we needed to get him help as quickly as possible. I was unable to navigate through the rules of the IEP meeting and did not receive any help from the school or the district even though I tried. Calling Valerie has been the best thing I could have ever done for our son. He is now progressing, and we are receiving the services we need for our son. Thank you Valerie!!!
Jessika, LEUSD
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My son has a learning disability and has been on an IEP since the 2nd grade but he never really got the help he needed. When he started junior high he was so frustrated that he came home crying everyday. I hired Valerie to help my twice exceptional child get all the accommodations, supports and services he needed. Valerie has the experience and knowledge to work with the district and set up the best education plan for your child.
Julie, CNUSD
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We struggled for years with our son’s schools and the IEP process. We thought the school was working with us and the incessant meetings were normal. When the school threatened to transfer our son to another school district we called Eve for help. As it turns out much of what the school was doing wasn’t proper or timely. Eve was able to get the IEP process back on track and ensure that the proper people were also involved in it so that our son was protected and getting the best possible help through the school system.
We are much more confident now about our sons future in the school system!
Valerie M.
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While I have considered myself fairly capable at advocating for my children with their teachers, it has been an incredible eye opening experience to see just how much more was needed and could be done for them with the help of Eve Belinsky. Eve has exceptional attention to detail, thoroughly reviewing her case notes, plans, assessments, progress reports and goals, so that she can easily and with authority negotiate my children’s special education requirements. Professional, articulate, precise and prepared, Eve was able to firmly and pleasantly achieve the services that were due my children. She has a passion for her work, a heart for her cause and the drive and commitment to achieve results. It has been my pleasure to work with her on behalf of my children.
Joanne
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Eve conducted a very professional IEP and set goals with which I had difficulty. She was very thorough and professional. For the past two years I have had tremendous difficulty getting the school to listen to my concerns and conduct a non-confrontational meeting. She was able to effectively mediate with district administrators to get my son the accommodations necessary for him to access his education.
Toni
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