Karelix alicea biography

She enjoys missionary work, including her trip to Haiti where she volunteered her time to help 45 beautiful children who were left homeless and orphaned following the wrath of Hurricane Matthew. Karla began her teaching career over 20 years ago at Coral Gables Senior High School where she mentored countless young adults and guided their dance careers into the collegiate and professional industries.

Karla enjoys supporting and promoting community enrichment with the inclusion of children with autism by organizing and hosting numerous performance opportunities and cultural shows throughout the year. Karla was actively involved in the planning and dance performances for the and Spectrum Fair hosted by ABA for Families benefitting autism children and families throughout the South Florida area.

She also participated in the 10th Annual Miami Dade College Family Health and Safety Fair and hopes to one day travel to Nicaragua for charity work servicing underprivileged children in her home country. Melanie Sterner has a passion for guiding individuals with disabilities with the developmental resources and education necessary to prepare them for success.

Melanie proudly founded Linking Forces to support adults with disabilities as a pathway to independence by obtaining and maintaining steady and successful employment. His experience has defined him as a skilled operator with strengths in problem solving, self-development, and team building that has been fostered over many years of cross-functional involvement.

His mentorship role across these organizations have allowed Reinaldo to positively affect the lives of youth in his community.

Karelix alicea biography

He is extremely proud of his role within TLC and looks forward to making a lasting impact for special needs children. Meet Our Board of Directors. Josefina Beyra, M. Emily Zubi, Board Member. Andrew is a seasoned professional in applied behavior analysis ABA , known for his exceptional patience and empathetic nature. Beyond his expertise in ABA, he brings valuable experience in digital design, having reconstructed our company's website introducing a new and polished online presence.

Nicole has been a valued member of our clinical team since October of She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology with a focus on behavior analysis and has been admitted to Florida International University's master's program, where she is working toward becoming a BCBA. She is bright, energetic, and creative with a fun-loving personality that our kids just love.

Nicole can render face-to-face services in English and in Spanish. A, BCaBA. Lorena has been a valued member of the Lotus clinical team since June of She is a smart, patient, and caring young lady with a soft heart for helping special needs children. Lorena can render face-to-face services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Dayanara has been a valued member of the Lotus clinical team since January of Her professional goal is to help children in any way necessary for them to lead happy and successful lives.

She is a bright, responsible and mature therapist who displays a wonderful sense of creativity when working with children on the spectrum. Shavanna has been a valued member of the Lotus clinical team since July of She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology with a concentration in behavior analysis from Florida International University FIU.

Shavanna joined our team with previous experience working with special needs children in a summer camp setting. For more than two decades, Karelix Alicea has been a pillar of support for the autism community. Throughout her career, Karelix has seen firsthand the difficulties that Hispanic families have with the high costs of therapies and treatments.

Serving the large Miami community has fueled her passion for helping underserved communities, especially Hispanic families with loved ones on the autism spectrum. Today, she is the founder and president of Lotus Behavioral Interventions and Lotus Children, a nonprofit organization committed to providing ABA therapies and resources to underprivileged children with autism worldwide.

She is also the co-founder of the Miami Association for Behavior Analysis. Karelix attributes her inspiration for personal advocacy in her local communities to Autism Speaks and its dedicated efforts in the field, which have ensured that over million people across the United States have access to health insurance for autism-related therapies.

To get a full picture of how well states across the U. It was here that I got into the field of behavior analysis, where my professor was also the director of a therapy clinic in Weston. I wanted to work at the clinic and serve and support children with special needs. It was in my heart to do this work. Eventually, I worked at the clinic for several years.

ABA therapy is an evidence-based treatment for autism spectrum disorder. It involves taking the science of behavior and changing the environment in which the child interacts—and modifying it in meaningful ways. Overall, it works simultaneously to increase adaptive behavior and decrease maladaptive behavior. Among the misconceptions that I have heard is that ABA therapy doesn't value individuals with autism.

Furthermore, the parents and primary caretakers of these children are often overworked, overstressed, and overwhelmed by their day-to-day responsibilities. Autism heroes, autism ninjas, autism super moms and dads TLC is here for you!