SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC

What SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC does

Special Education Advocacy Services, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned Florida LLC operating a 7-person educational advocacy practice based in Pembroke Pines with an operations presence in Davie. The firm serves families of children with special needs across South Florida, with primary reach into Broward County and surrounding communities. Its core offering is professional advocacy and consulting — IEP and 504 plan meeting attendance, school observations, behavior support via a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), early-intervention and preschool transitions, and adult/transition planning covering post-secondary education, government benefits, housing, employment, guardianship, and estate planning. Service delivery is direct-to-consumer, delivered in-person or virtually with year-round training and support included in the engagement; the firm does not accept insurance for BCBA services and uses quote-based, multi-year contract pricing.

The business is built on the founder Ysela Heim's 23+ years of advocacy experience, personal experience as a parent of a child with autism and epilepsy, and deep civic positioning across regional autism and education organizations (UM-NSU CARD, Autism Speaks, Autism Society of Broward County, ESE Advisory of Broward County, DPJCC, Boca Raton Achievement Center). The team is composed of credentialed specialists — a BCBA, an educational consultant with a master's from the University of Florida and 22 years in Broward County Public Schools, and an attorney specializing in disability rights — enabling the firm to span clinical, educational, and legal dimensions of advocacy within a single engagement. Revenue mechanics are service-fee based, with no disclosed pricing scale, no disclosed institutional contracts, no insurance billing, and no third-party payer relationships.

There is no proprietary technology platform; intake, document handling, and meetings are managed through the firm's website and password-protected forms. Marketing is community-driven rather than demand-capture: board leadership, event sponsorships, professional trainings for community organizations and private schools, and bilingual (English/Spanish) outreach. The firm's most recent strategic initiative is an Adult/Transition Support Services line that extends the engagement model from K-12 advocacy into lifespan planning.

Name

SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC

Legal name

SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC

Website

https://yselaheim.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Special Education Advocacy Services is a Florida-based, founder-owned firm that provides IEP, 504, BCBA, and transition-planning advocacy to families of children with special needs across South Florida, primarily in Broward County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Advocacy Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO), Special Needs Early Intervention & Preschool Programs (EDAKAAAE)

Keywords

• Special education advocacy
• IEP support services
• Behavior analysis consulting
• Educational consulting
• Transition planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Davie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Educational Advocacy and Consulting Services: Professional consulting and advocacy services provided to families of children with special needs. Services include IEP meeting attendance, observations, behavior support, and transition planning. Year-round training and support included as part of service delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC provides special education advocacy and consulting services to families of children with special needs from diagnosis through adulthood. Core offerings include IEP meeting attendance, school observations, BCBA-led behavior support, 504 plan support, early intervention/preschool transition assistance, and adult/transition planning (continued education, government benefits, housing, employment, guardianship, and estate planning). Services are delivered year-round with ongoing training and support included, in-person or virtually with camera on at all times.

Product overview

Special Education Advocacy Services, LLC is a service-based advocacy firm offering a unified suite of support services for families navigating special education. The core offering combines Educational Advocacy and Support with Behavior Support Services (BCBA consultation) and Adult/Transition Support Services. These are supported by service modules including IEP/504 Plan Meeting Attendance, Observations and Conferences, Early Steps/Preschool Transitions, and Transition Planning. The company does not accept insurance and provides year-round training and support as part of their service model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Advocacy and Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Autism Friendly City designation achieved for Pembroke Pines

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UM-NSU CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with university-based autism center. Ysela Heim has sat on the board. Alicia Palelis serves as consultant. Collaborative relationship supporting autism services and resources in South Florida.
• Autism SpeakscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational autism advocacy organization. Ysela Heim has sat on the board and collaborated on events in South Florida.
• Autism Society of Broward CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chapter of national autism society. Ysela Heim has sat on the board and chaired events supporting families in Broward County.
• ESE Advisory of Broward CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExceptional Student Education advisory committee for Broward County schools. Ysela Heim has served on this advisory board.
• DPJCC (David Posnack Jewish Community Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity center in Davie, Florida. Ysela Heim currently serves as Vice Chair of Special Services. Collaborative programming for special needs individuals.
• Boca Raton Achievement Center (BRAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit special needs school for students with autism and related disabilities. Jane Kaufman serves as Vice-Chairperson on the board guiding the program.
• Autism ElementsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization. Alicia Palelis serves as consultant providing expertise in special education and autism services.
• Neuro Consulting SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting firm. Alicia Palelis serves as consultant in the special needs community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wrightslaw: Long-standing special education advocacy and training publisher (Pete & Pam Wright) covering IEP rights, IDEA regulations, and advocacy tactics. Comparable as the leading information/training resource serving the same parent-advocate customer base the subject firm serves through in-person consulting.
• Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA): National membership organization for special education advocates and attorneys, offering training, advocacy resources, and a directory of advocates. Comparable in serving and credentialing the same special education advocate/attorney market the subject firm operates within.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs: Massachusetts-based family support organization providing IEP advocacy, parent training, and special education information across the lifespan. Directly comparable family-advocacy service offering, though operating in a different regional market.
• Special Needs Alliance: National nonprofit organization of attorneys serving individuals with disabilities, their families, and advocates - with particular focus on planning for adulthood (guardianship, benefits, estate). Comparable to the adult/transition and legal aspects of the subject firm's service portfolio, especially Jane Kaufman's transition offerings.
• Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC): Nonprofit providing parent training, advocacy support, and one-on-one assistance to families of children with disabilities navigating IEPs and special education. Directly comparable mission and service model to the subject firm's family-advocacy work.

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): National nonprofit advocating for equitable access and outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities. Comparable population served (families of children with learning/attention challenges) but operates at national policy/advocacy scale rather than local consulting.
• The Arc: National community-based organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism) across the lifespan. Comparable lifespan-support and family-services mission, especially relevant to the subject firm's adult/transition offerings, but operating as a large federation rather than a local consulting firm.
• Understood.org: Large-scale digital resource and advocacy platform serving parents of children with learning and attention issues. Comparable audience and topic (IEP, learning differences) but operates as a free, content-driven incumbent rather than a fee-based consulting practice.

Regional players

• Disability Rights Florida: Florida's designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system, providing legal advocacy and rights protection for individuals with disabilities statewide. Comparable in Florida-region disability advocacy, but operating on a nonprofit/legal-aid model rather than fee-for-service consulting.

Emerging players

• SPED Advisors / A Special Education Advocate (advocacy firms): Independent, fee-based special education advocacy practices serving families navigating IEP and 504 processes. Comparable service model and target customer (families of children with disabilities); represents the fragmented field of small advocates the subject firm competes with locally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/special-education-advocacy-services-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY SERVICES, LLC