EDUCATION
Kira Christensen, M.S., LEP is a Licensed Educational Psychologist with a Master of Science degree in Counseling and School Psychology from California State University Sacramento, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development with a minor in Education from the University of California at Davis with Highest Honors.
LICENSURE
Kira is licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a Licensed Educational Psychologist, and has a current Pupil Personnel Services credential as a School Psychologist in the public school system.
EXPERIENCE
Kira has over 20 years experience as a school psychologist conducting psychoeducational assessments. Her experience also includes working as an Adjunct Professor at California State University Sacramento in the School Psychology Masters graduate program, including teaching school psychology graduate students in the Diagnostic Clinic. In addition, as a school psychologist for the San Juan Unified School District, Kira has extensive experience conducting psychoeducational assessments in all areas of disability with students in elementary through high school students, as well as transition age students up to age 22. She interprets assessment results and provides clear recommendations for students at IEP meetings, and advocates for student needs in a collaborative manner with teams including parents, teachers and administrators. Kira has experience working with students with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, autism, orthopedic impairments, traumatic brain injuries, as well as students with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. She has also worked extensively assessing students in challenging cases with co-occurring mental health issues, substance abuse, and complex learning issues.
KIRA’S PHILOSOPHY
If you are seeking an assessment for you or your child, you’ve likely experienced significant frustration and may be disheartened with a lack of progress. You may have even hit some roadblocks in trying to access help for your child. Kira’s philosophy is simple - Everyone has strengths, and while it's important to know about deficits in order to provide interventions, it's also important to find the strengths! What will make it easier for the student to reduce frustration and increase success? And what are the accommodations and supports that will be needed in order to maximize progress? Kira’s exceptionally thorough assessments answer these important questions in an understandable manner for both parents and teachers, with clear recommendations that outline supports and strategies based on the assessment results. Kira is passionate about learning and knows that EVERY student has the capacity to be successful! Her services are aimed at providing answers to minimize frustration and maximize progress!
WHY USE AN LEP?
A Licensed Educational Psychologist has the unique ability to assess a student’s learning and processing abilities in a comprehensive manner with the knowledge and expertise of working within school systems. LEP’s have specialized training in education and mental health, which enables effective assessment of all aspects that may impact the student’s education, including cognitive functioning, processing abilities, and social, emotional and behavioral factors. An LEP can determine an educational diagnosis accurately only after thorough assessment. For example, quite often students are diagnosed with ADHD on the basis of a very short rating scale by a doctor or clinical psychologist, yet no direct assessment in attention or social emotional assessment has been conducted, which can yield incredibly important information for your child. If the underlying issue is anxiety, for example, the recommendations and course of treatment would be quite different than if the issue is an attention deficit. Such attention to detail, close analysis and thorough diagnostic assessment are the hallmark of Kira Christensen’s high standards in providing relevant and valuable information to meet the student’s needs.
As a Licensed Educational Psychologist, Kira Christensen is adept at evaluating students and providing legally defensible reports that are extremely thorough and cover any area of suspected disability that may indicate your child may be eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. With extensive experience working with both public and private school systems, Kira provides extremely thorough legally defensible psychoeducational assessments that meet requirements for considerations for:
Special education eligibility (known as an IEP)
Accommodations in general education (eligibility for a Section 504 plan)
Gifted and talented programs, such as GATE and MENSA
College Board accommodations for tests such as the SAT, ACT, and AP exams
Accommodations in college courses
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