Special Education Consultant, Behavior Support Specialist, and Certified Life Skills Coach
Ms. Kayes brings 18+ years of experience working in many diverse public school systems across the country, teaching special education in a variety of K-12 school settings, including self-contained, general education, and Autism classrooms. As a respected consultant, she has extensive knowledge about the special education referral and eligibility process, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), planning 504 accommodations, and data-driven development of goals to meaningfully support students with disabilities. She was named Teacher of The Year (2012) for her exceptional support of families navigating the complicated and all-too-often frustrating IEP process.
She has designed original curriculum on a district level to support the development of life skills for students receiving special education services, and has overseen district-level Special Education Departments in which she led collaborative teams focusing on innovative ways of supporting students in the least restrictive educational environment. Using the foundation of a growth mindset and as part of her robust transition plans, Ms. Kayes has empowered countless students to achieve independence and life success outside of the school setting.
As an Assistant Principal, Ms. Kayes used a parent-centered approach in helping caregivers navigate the complexities of special education. She collaborated with school and division-wide special education and related support personnel (e.g., procedural support leaders, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, school psychologists, social workers and special education teachers) to organize parent workshops and informational sessions, Q&A discussions, and provide step-by-step materials to more effectively support their children at home and in working successfully with the school system.
Ms. Kayes has prepared parents across several school districts in Northern Virginia to effectively advocate for their children in IEP meetings. To ensure that students with disabilities receive the assistance they need and deserve in a timely manner, she has advised parents about applicable education laws and policies that entitle children with disabilities to receive appropriate daily supports, individualized accommodations, diagnostic assessments and therapeutic interventions by qualified professionals, and specialized programming.
Ms. Kayes is skilled in understanding the motivation behind complex behaviors that affect children's performance and experience in school. Using her expertise in positive behavior interventions for Fairfax County Public Schools, Ms. Kayes implemented a multi-tiered behavior support system that improved students’ learning, work production, and goal-directed persistence. In serving the “whole child,” she developed unique strategies to promote students’ cooperative and pro-social behaviors and to create a healthy learning environment at school, while giving caregivers tools to use at home to encourage consistency, successful school-home collaboration, and to address underlying reasons for their child’s behaviors.
Through Mindful Schools, Ms. Kayes is Certified Level II Mindfulness Instructor. She is routinely invited to present at national education conferences on the benefits of mindfulness including the correlation between mindful practices and improved executive functioning leading to higher academic growth in students ADHD, Autism and a wide range of disabilities.
Ms. Kayes earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from George Mason University. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Teaching with an emphasis in Special Education and an Education Specialist Degree from Liberty University. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Family Counseling at Liberty University.