Specialized IEE Assessor

I am truly a specialist.

Through hard work and good luck, I've been fortunate to serve in a wide range of positions in special education over the past two decades. This unique collection of experiences has made me a hybrid — clinician, SELPA Program Specialist, and neurodivergent parent — a combination I use specifically to conduct the highest quality, most impactful IEEs. As I often joke, I speak fluent IEP, and I'm on a mission to translate this confusing language for everyone. In addition to being meticulous and exhaustive, my job isn't done until you, as the parent, understand every finding. I make sure each parent receives this information all the way through, in a way they fully understand, so they can participate in their child's IEP — summaries, info sheets, real-life analogies, and short videos explaining results for parents who learn best by listening.

My work isn't centered around assessment - it is centered around results.

Many psychologists conduct IEEs as part of a broader practice. For SoCal IEE, it has always been the entire focus. I've sat in nearly every seat at the IEP table over my career — but what actually drew me to this work wasn't a lifelong love of assessment. It was watching talented, qualified IEE evaluators write excellent, well-researched reports that resulted in zero recommendations being implemented. These reports were technically sound, and parents were excited because they believed their child would get whatever the assessor wrote down — but the recommendations were impractical and ill-suited to a school setting.

My clinical skills are top-tier, but what makes the real difference for the students I serve is that I know how to assess, interview, connect, revise, and present findings in a way that makes immediate sense in a school setting.

Respect is a Cornerstone.

I have two hilarious, talented neurodivergent children — one with level two autism and Stargardt's disease. Simply put, there's no way to truly empathize with raising a high-needs child unless you've lived it. I understand that you're exhausted from filling out the same forms for the millionth time, that you don't remember how many months old your child was when they crawled, that their school tried a reading program you can't remember the name of, that it still hurts when they don't get invited to parties, and that every emotion is amplified when you have a high-needs child.

I also understand that you know your child is fantastic — that they understand more than it seems, that they're the best cuddler, that they can sing every Disney song ever written at the drop of a hat, that they just got a 90% on a math quiz they studied hard for — and that you love them exactly as they are. Raising a child with special needs can cause a constant, diffuse kind of worry. When we work together, I promise I won't add to it.

Every evaluation is different. My goal is identical.

If there were a straightforward answer for how to help your child at school, it would have been found long before you requested an IEE. No case is conducted "cookie cutter," and your child's testing battery is only built after a thorough record review and a full round of interviews. My assessment library is enormous, with specialized testing for ADHD, Autism, and every type of learning disability. We aren't just giving tests — we're clinical detectives, finding answers and solutions.

I intentionally keep a small caseload so every family gets the attention they need. Does your child test better in the mornings? We'll arrange it around that. Is your child scared of math, or does it make them agitated? We'll figure out the best way to present it. Do they shut down around new people? We'll build a curriculum-based assessment instead. Will your preschooler be terrified of me unless I put on bunny ears and pretend to be a rabbit? I'll hop to it. Whatever it takes — that's the only professional goal I have: to help your child.