Hi - My name is Yael Cohen. When things just aren't going so well with your child at school, you want to know why, what to do, and how to get it. I have over 30 years experience doing just that. Along with helping parents successfully advocate for their children's educational needs, I also directly help children with learning challenges to read, spell, and learn other academic skills and strategies. I have a B.A. in Speech Pathology and an M.A. in Special Education, with an extensive background in reading, math, and writing instruction. Parents like you seek me out for my expertise, but also because I can help you not only figure out what will work for your child, but where you find the local resources. I am a true believer that your child deserves a great education. With the right kind of instruction, every child can learn - yours included. In my spare time, I enjoy the gorgeous Colorado mountains. I have adult twin children, who finally(!) sleep through the night, and I live in Boulder, Colorado. I look forward to assisting you and your child.

"In a perfect world, we would not need to seek the assistance of advocates to oversee that our children receive all the services they need to succeed and grow. However, our less than perfect system sometimes falls short, and we need to seek the aid of those who are willing to fight for the rights of children and their parents.

Today, there are a few very special people who excel at assisting parents in securing these necessary resources for their children. Luckily, I have found one in Yael Cohen. Yael brings a wealth of knowledge and resources for children and their families. She knows the educational rights of children and how to obtain resources. If she does not know, she finds out. She is truly an advocate. Yael is constantly looking for ways to update her knowledge. She belongs to many committees and knows scores of professionals who are valuable contacts. After the schools claimed they hit a dead end with teaching my daughter to read, Yael made useful recommendations; she has been the only person who has been successful in advancing my daughter's reading skills.

In addition, Yael has attended all of my daughter's IEP's and was instrumental in securing many adaptations and requests for her education. She pushed for things I would never have even thought to ask.

Yael is sensitive, yet determined, creative and motivating. She has drive and never gives up. She has been a beacon of light to our family. Without Yael and her expertise, we would still be struggling with the system and settling for so much less. I continue to praise and highly recommend Yael to everyone I know. Yael would most definitely make a positive contribution to any endeavor."

Karen Ruscio
Denver, Colorado

"As a parent of a child with disabilities and a psychologist who works with children with disabilities, I was delighted to review Action Plans To Meet Your Child's Learning Needs: A Parent's Guide and Action Plans To Meet Your Child's Learning Needs: A Parent's Workbook. These clear and concise guides will save you hours of phone calls and confusion. I wish I had access to these when my daughter was in school.

The rules, processes and procedures of special education and IEP;s are daunting. Forgetting to ask a particular question at a particular meeting can get in the way of your child's services. With these thorough, articulate, and comprehensive guides, you, the parent, will be able to present you child's needs in a professional manner. When you speak the language of IEPs and education, your child will be more likely to receive the services he or she needs and deserves.

I was lucky enough to have Yael Cohen advise me on my daughter's IEP;s. She thought of issues I had not thought about, understood rules I did not understand, and offered me methods of presenting material in language and a manner that made the most sense to educators."

Amy F. Cades, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Huntingdon Valley, PA

"I cannot help but be very positively impressed with Yael. Her demonstrated excellence is unquestionable. She is a very caring, dedicated person whose goals and commitment in life are refreshing and laudable. "

Jean Wood
Albany, NY

"Ms. Yael Cohen has provided outstanding guidance, advice, and support in determining the proper educational program for our son who has serious learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD...Yael has succeeded in helping to have our son placed in the optimal program in our school district. Through her excellent consultation, we believe that our son's educational program has been much more effective and beneficial than it would have been otherwise...

Yael has always been prepared for our school conferences and has proven to be an outstanding advocate for our son in our meetings with the schools. She has been innovative in recommending solutions to problems. She has consistently called us at home before our meetings to go over issues concerning our son. We have felt assured because of her thorough preparation...We felt comfortable in discussing any issue or problem we have encountered. Given her communication skills, her dedication to children, and her extensive background in the educational field, we strongly recommend Yael."

Betty and Kurt Homan
Denver, Colorado

"Yael cannot only understand the vision, but she has a clear sense of how to obtain it. She is consistently moving forward on that path and attacks it with the enthusiasm of a zealot. I have seen Yael accomplish things that no one else could do; she is not one to ever be intimidated, nor is she afraid to risk."

Cynda Arsenault
Superior, Colorado

"Yael is excellent and resourceful, and a believer in doing the right thing for children with special needs. "

The Vaceks
Boulder, Colorado

"Action Plans To Meet Your Child's Learning Needs is the best tool I have ever seen to help one prepare for the IEP process and guarantee your child receives what he or she is eligible and entitled to receive. This book could easily be entitled "What I want to ask about IEP, but didn't know who to ask." The accompanying workbook is like a cherry on top of the milkshake. The Parent's Guide and Parent's Workbook combined together enables the reader/researcher to give the full picture of the process."

Glen Sexton, Parent & Certified Family Advocate
Salt Lake City, Utah

"When I brought my son to Yael, I wasn't sure what to expect. My son sustained a head injury at age 7 and has significant emotional problems, and, on top of all that, he had been regressing for a couple of years. He started seeing Yael at the beginning of this year, as he was starting 5th grade. At the beginning of the school year, the school tested him -- he was reading at a 1.6 grade level; he was just re-tested on the same exam and he went up to a 2.3! This is the first time he has progressed in over 3-years, so we have hope again. The most important thing is he feels successful. To see his hope makes it all worthwhile. I would HIGHLY recommend Yael to anyone, especially those that have children with attention or behavioral challenges, as she is creative in her approach. "

Christiana Humphreys
Aurora, CO

"My 9th grader was still reading and spelling on a 2nd - 4th grade level. Had I known about multisensory reading techniques, my child would have been reading at grade level years ago. Yael has been instrumental in my daughter's success in reading and spelling. I absolutely recommend her!"

Cindy Komperda
Longmont, Colorado

"Yael Cohen's book and workbook on educational advocacy for students who have IEP's are comprehensive and easy to read. They are invaluable references that will allow every family to create a concise blueprint for their child's school advocacy plan in a user-friendly format. As parents of a student with significant learning challenges who is soon-to-be-in-middle-school, we highly recommend this reference and guidebook to any parents wanting to improve services and outcomes for their child. We have accessed Ms. Cohen's wealth of expertise many times -- what a delight to have this written reference now at hand!"

Anastasia and Bob Lawhead
Boulder, Colorado

"I have worked with Yael for over ten years, both professionally and personally. She is my role model for being professional, persistent, and CALM. She knows education rights, educational policies, special education research, and what is possible in a classroom. And she knows that letting tempers flare will not solve any problems, but knowledge and persistence will. Her book is an excellent resource for those wanting to absorb her style, as well as the knowledge needed to build the plan that will move your child forward academically."

Robin E. McEvoy, Ph.D.
Developmental Neuropsychologist and mother

"In short, Yael Cohen is one of those people who makes "impossible" things happen."

Gina Hyatt
Boulder, Colorado