Kahlon Family Services

Vanessa is amazing and has been a pleasure to work with! My 2 year old son has a speech delay, in addition to being at high risk for autism, but with Vanessa’s help he is showing substantial improvement in all areas. She found us a WONDERFUL shadow to support him at daycare and to also work with him using early intervention strategies. Communication regarding my son’s progress and next steps occur regularly. Vanessa gives her time generously in answering questions and educating us on practices to implement in our daily routines to further help our son. Additionally she has been so supportive of me and is always available to talk whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed. Vanessa is truly dedicated to helping others and I am very grateful to have someone as kind and knowledgeable as her to guide our family through this journey.

We have a toddler who was rather aggressive in interacting with his peers at 24 months. Although it’s not an infrequent problem, being that impulse control and appropriate social interaction are still developing at this age, it was made clear to us that we had to do something as the teachers at daycare were at a complete loss as to how to manage the situation. Vanessa’s holistic approach to behavioral modification and coaching was what caught my attention but her warmth and dedication was what made me decide to work with her. Within a month, we saw a difference in our son and he has made incredible progress just a few months! Our son has learnt to verbalize his desires to his peers instead of just adults, is a lot calmer and plays very well now with other kids either in class or in other social situations. Both his teachers and our friends have all commented on the difference. Needless to say, our stress levels have also decreased significantly!
Vanessa clearly has a gift for working with children and getting effective outcomes. She is empathic, warm and has a great sense of humor. She also loves working with kids and I think kids sense that and trust her. Whether your child has special needs or simply needs some coaching for behavioral modification, she is an amazing resource. We are thankful that people like her exist!!!

As a yoga teacher and behaviorist, Vanessa has been an amazing resource for our young adult daughter who is on the autism spectrum and has anxiety and anger issues. After just a few home sessions our daughter began to do yoga on her own, between sessions with Vanessa, and her yoga practice has become an effective tool for managing her anxiety and building her self-​confidence. Vanessa’s behavioral skills and easy, natural manner were critical in her success with our daughter. We are so grateful!

I’ve just completed the Yoga Education for Autism Spectrum (YEAS) training and I have to say it was amazing. Not only did Vanessa provide us with great materials and resources, she also gave us hands on training where we could practice the techniques and methods and immediately get feedback.
I would recommend this training to anyone who is looking for an alternative yet powerful and effective way to assist children with special needs. You don’t need to be a yoga teacher to benefit from this training either. Simply having basic knowledge of yoga, and knowing how to build rapport with children is really all you need to get started.
As a preschool teacher I am really excited to incorporate my YEAS training into my curriculum and with the tools Vanessa has given me I feel confident that I can use yoga to benefit all of the children in my classroom.

My son has participated in Vanessa’s yoga class for the last year and has really enjoyed it. He is learning about body awareness and core strength which is helping him to develop as a teenage boy. Socially he has made new friends and built better relationships with others. Great Job!

I recently completed the Yoga Education for Autism Spectrum (YEAS) training and it was amazing! I am teach special ed and children’s yoga. I use yoga in my classroom and have been looking for a training for children with special needs for awhile. Most trainings are geared for high functioning children, but that is not the population I work with. Vanessa’s approach to working with children with special needs was exactly what I was looking for. She provided an overview of what Autism is for the participants who had little or no experience working with children with special needs and logically progressed to strategies that could be used to bring yoga to children that are non-​verbal, physically challenged and struggling to manage their behaviors. She walked us through a typical session and gave us case study scenarios to organize and teach our own session during the training. I was able to take what I learned and immediately adapt my yoga sessions with the children that I currently work with. I noticed monumental changes in just a couple of sessions!

For the last 2 years I’ve been fortunate to consult with Kahlon Family Services regarding some of my clients who have children with special needs. Every time I have called I’ve gotten a response within 24 hours. KFS offers a unique service of going to the child’s home and working with the entire family regarding behavioral issues. I’ve gotten feedback from my clients stating that they have seen a huge difference with how they interact with their child. In addition, families feel less stressed and enjoy their child more. I would highly recommend Kahlon Family Services to any family who is dealing with any behavioral issues.

I had been having many problems with my 14 month old’s eating behaviors so a parent friend of mine recommended that I try Kahlon Family Services. I was immediately struck by Vanessa’s friendliness and ability to listen empathically to my struggles. Over a couple months, Vanessa taught me many strategies to get my son to eat finally! Her approach was non-​intrusive and she preferred to do her work in a natural setting, which I find to much more useful than just talking about the problem. My son was instantly at ease with Vanessa and I found her to be very trusting and easy to get along with. I highly recommend Kahlon Family Services if you are looking for someone who can help you with any behavioral challenges you may be facing with your child, whether they are typically developing or having special needs. A bonus I enjoyed was hearing tips about how I can use some yoga practices and stretches to help alleviate anxiety and stress between myself and my baby. It seems that Vanessa uses a holistic approach to behavioral change, which is hard to find these days among the more traditional forms of behavioral therapy.
Angie T.

I am an educational consultant specializing in learning-​challenged students, and am happy to recommend Vanessa for her knowledge-​based, but still intuitive, approach to treating children with special needs. She has a unique talent for integrating behavioral treatment for the child with the requirements of the entire family. Her natural empathy for the child naturally extends to parents and siblings, who are struggling to manage the day-​to-​day pressure and stress of their family lives. Being able to combine academic training, clinical experience, and personal warmth and compassion is Vanessa’s special gift to the Bay Area. As one who works daily with challenged children, I can recommend her wholeheartedly.
S. McCormick,