First Steps Interventions

12/08/2025

Hey fam! We have two spots opening up in our early intensive behavior intervention clinic (EiBi), so now is a great time to enroll for January!

Our EiBi has been successfully preparing children to attend pre-school or kindergarten for over 10 years! We are experts in providing your child the push they need to develop basic communication and social skills, as well as toileting and independence, so they can thrive in an academic setting. We offer half day, academic day and full-day programs, and we accept most commercial insurance plans as well as Medicaid and Step Up scholarship.

Contact us now by filling out an initial contact form or calling 786-250-3451 to get more information.

11/07/2025

📣Our community needs your help!📣

In light of recent events and the holidays approaching, FSI will be hosting a food drive at our clinic to support a food pantry in our local community. We have partnered with Matthew 25 Food Pantry, a food pantry near the clinic supporting close to 1,500 families through biweekly food distributions.

We invite our team, families, and supporters to join us and make any size donation to our drive. We will be collecting food until Nov 21 at 2:30pm. Our donations will then be dropped off directly at the local food pantry. Please read the flyer for more information.

Every donation makes a difference. Please share this post and help us spread the word!💛

11/04/2025

Too cool for ghouls - Check out how FSI does Fall Spirit Week ! 👻🎃🍂

11/03/2025

Every month at FSI, we aim to meet with our team and discuss some important ABA topics over lunch! 🧑🏽‍🏫

For the month of October🎃, we received a spook-tacular treat from our team member, Mari, who prepared a powerful ethics presentation on how to navigate our own behavior and conversations in the therapeutic setting.

Thanks Mari for creating this moment for us to connect and dive into ethics, and thanks to everyone who attended !

What topics should we cover next ?! 🤔

10/26/2025

Teamwork isn’t just in the office… sometimes it’s in the arcade 🕹️👏🏽 Quick recap of this years FSI Team Bonding Event at

10/17/2025

Today is Feel Yourself Day! FSI is closed in an effort to promote the self-care of our staff. We work hard prioritizing the well-being of our clients day in and day out, and today serves as a reminder that in order to care for others, we must also take care of ourselves.

Feel Yourself Day is in October because it aligns with and allows us to bring awareness of self-examination methods to our staff. It’s also an opportunity for us to prioritize ourselves and our well-being. 💖

09/01/2025

This one is extra-special, and we couldn’t be more proud 🥺 Nata started with us as an undergraduate Practicum student exploring the field. It was instantly clear that she was made for this type of work: compassionate, patient, kind and meticulous. Fast-forward to completing her masters degree with and completing her supervisor training with us and we get a super-charged fresh new BCBA to add to our arsenal of competent, ethical and qualified BCBAs. Way to go, Nata! We adore you!

07/12/2025

We are so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing professionals at FSI. Here is a little snippet about some of the leaders we have the pleasure of working with.

🌟 Jenilee Acevedo-Medina, Founder and President: The one who started it all, with a vision of ethical and effective ABA services and a desire to train anyone who wants to learn from the best. The one who keeps us moving forward, one step at a time.

🌟 Paloma Pedraza Rodríguez, Clinical Director: The passionate one who can’t help turning everything into a teaching moment. The one who guides our clinical mission and challenges us to evaluate every intervention we provide.

🌟 Veronica Cesin, Clinical Operations Manager: The communicator, system developer and team builder. The one who juggles ALL the things and builds lasting bridges between our clients and staff.

🌟 Tracy Capote-Sanchez, Director of Clinical Supervision: The human encyclopedia with the kindest heart. The one who responds to everyone’s concerns before the end of the day, and keeps us all in line with her leadership and example.

07/08/2025

Another successful transition from Practicum Student to BCBA! Our partnership with has led to a remarkable 100% pass rate for our trainees over the past 5 years. We take training and BCBA development seriously, and our students and clients are the ultimate winners. Congrats again, Olivia!

06/12/2025

Medicaid changes have everyone stressed out! If you’re looking for a high quality ABA organization that provides Medicaid services with no wait list, look no further! Give us a call or go to our website to fill out a new client contact form and a member of our administrative team will contact you for more information.

06/10/2025

Tired of working in an organization that prioritizes billable hours and profits over quality care? At FSI we have been providing client-centered, developmentally-grounded, compassionate care for over 17 years. Our staff report high rates of satisfaction in their roles as RBTs, BCaBAs and BCBA’s, and our clients’ treatment plans are frequently updated, with an emphasis on caregiver training and reducing total treatment hours, leading many to successful discharge from ABA services.

If you’re ready for a change towards a happier career and better work-life balance, contact us to apply for one of our open jobs. We’re looking for RBTs, BCaBAs and BCBA’s who are looking for clear clinical direction and mentorship by some of the most respected ABA professionals in Miami.

We invite to complete an application today ! ➡️ https://members.centralreach.com/?public=true /form?id=D7BF35A6-898D-4764-9604-BC3262B7C5BF

06/06/2025

We love Kaelynn and the work she has been doing to support autistic people!

Apparently, it’s national donut day…and seeing that reminded me of this “radical” (at the time) paper about autonomy and dignity for disabled people.

The idea was that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are CONSTANTLY being micromanaged in ways that other adults aren’t.
For example, many work or reside in settings where they have to ask permission for a snack, or “earn” the right to choose what they eat based on whether they followed their behavior plan.

The paper basically said: if you want a dozen donuts and a nap, that’s your right. You don’t need to hit a milestone or finish a life skill worksheet first. Over eating and midday naps may not be the “healthiest” or most “productive” choice, but it’s yours. And making questionable or impulsive choices is part of being human. We all do it.

The author talked about the dignity of risk, which means everyone deserves the right to make their own decisions, even if they’re not perfect ones. That includes disabled people.

One of the best lines basically said, “Support staff are not moral gatekeepers. You’re not there to decide what’s good or bad for someone—you’re there to support their choices, even if you don’t personally agree with them.”

So now every time I see donuts, I think about how something as small as food can represent something huge: autonomy, choice, and being treated like a real adult. Not someone whose preferences get second-guessed because they need support.

Everyone deserves the dignity of risk… glazed, sprinkled, or powdered sugar-coated. 😅💖