IN-PERSON IN STUDIO CITY & ONLINE across CALIFORNIA

You shouldn’t need a law degree to read your kid’s IEP.

Plain-English review of school evaluations, IEP meeting strategy, and direct coordination with school staff — from a Licensed Educational Psychologist who spent two decades inside the system.

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Nationally Certified School Psychologist (17+ years)

Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP #4428)

Worked inside CA, FL, and
WA public schools

Independent — not affiliated with any school district

What I do (and what I don’t)

What I do

  • Review your child’s school evaluation and translate it into plain English — what the scores actually mean, what the school is required to provide, what they’re leaving out.

  • Help you decide whether to pursue an IEP, a 504 plan, or both.

  • Prepareyou for IEP and 504 meetings — what to ask, what to push back on, what to agree to.

  • With your written consent, attend IEP/504 meetings as a clinical consultant.

  • Communicate directly with school staff (resource specialists, teachers, school psychologists) when productive.

  • Help write or revise accommodation language so it’s specific, measurable, and enforceable.

What I don’t do

  • Legal representation — that’s a special-education attorney’s role.

  • Conduct independent psychoeducational evaluations (I refer to colleagues who do).

  • Adversarial advocacy where the relationship with the school has already broken down (an attorney is the right call there).

When IEP/504 consultation makes sense

  • Your child just got an evaluation and you don’t understand the report.

  • The school is recommending services and you want a second opinion.

  • You’re heading into an IEP meeting and want someone in your corner.

  • The current IEP exists but isn’t being followed.

  • You suspect your child needs accommodations but the school is saying they don’t qualify.

  • You’re considering a 504 plan for ADHD, anxiety, or a medical condition.

  • You’re transitioning between schools and want to make sure supports carry over.

  • Your child is in private school and the school doesn’t do IEPs but you need accommodations.

How a typical engagement works

  • Free 20-minute call

    You describe what’s going on. I tell you whether IEP/504 consultation is the right fit, or whether something else (a different specialist, an attorney, a fresh evaluation) should come first.

  • Document review

    You send me the school evaluation, current IEP/504, recent report cards, and any relevant correspondence. I read everything and summarize in plain English: what’s strong, what’s missing, what to ask for.

  • Meeting prep (if applicable)

    Before the IEP/504 meeting, we meet for 60–90 minutes to walk through what to expect, what to ask, and what to push back on. You go in prepared.

  • Meeting attendance (optional)

    If useful, I attend the IEP/504 meeting in person or by video. I don’t take over — you remain the parent making the decisions. I provide clinical input when invited and stay attentive to whether the proposed plan actually fits your child.

  • Follow-through

    After the meeting, we review the resulting plan together, and I help track whether the school is actually delivering what was agreed.

Answers to Your Questions

  • Item descriptionIt depends on the relationship with the school. If the school is collaborating in good faith and you just need clinical and procedural help, a consultant is usually the right (and much cheaper) call. If you’re heading toward due process, mediation, or have a hostile school district, you need an attorney. I’m happy to refer to special-education attorneys when that’s the right move.

  • An IEP is a special-education plan under federal law (IDEA). It provides specialized instruction and related services for kids with one of 13 specific disability categories that affect educational performance. A 504 plan is broader, simpler, and provides accommodations rather than services for any kid with a disability that substantially limits a major life activity. Many ADHD kids have 504s. Many autistic kids have IEPs. Some have both. The right choice depends on what your kid actually needs.

  • Yes, though the tools differ. Private schools aren’t bound by IEP/504 law, but most have an accommodation process. I help families build the case for accommodations, communicate with the school, and decide whether public-school assessment services are worth using even while attending private school.

  • Pricing depends on scope. Document review alone is the lowest-cost engagement; a meeting attendance + prep package is mid-range; ongoing consultation across a school year is most. Specifics are reviewed during the consultation call.

  • No and the difference matters. School psychologists who work for a district are employed by the district. I worked inside districts for 17 years, so I know the system well, but I’m now independent. My obligations are to your family, not to district resource constraints.

  • All three. Most of my LAUSD work is with families in the Studio City, Sherman Oaks, and broader San Fernando Valley region. Charter schools have their own variations on IEP/504 processes; I’m familiar with the major networks. Private schools each work differently.

Stuck on an IEP or 504?

Free 20-minute consultation. We’ll figure out the right next step for your family, whether that’s working with me, working with someone else, or starting somewhere different entirely.

Schedule a Free Consultation