kira christensen

Licensed Educational Psychologist

Kira Christensen is a Licensed Educational Psychologist in Sacramento, CA.  She specializes in psychoeducational assessment of students from elementary school through high school and college, including adult students.  Kira determines the presence of intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities, including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, as well as the presence of memory, attention, and social emotional and behavioral problems impeding learning, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD.  She works with students and provides consultation in the greater Sacramento area.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTING & EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING FOR CHILDREN, TEENS AND ADULT STUDENTS

Is school a constant struggle?  Do you wonder if there's something else going on, like dyslexia or other type of learning disability getting in the way of learning?  If so, you may have experienced significant frustration and may have even run into roadblocks in accessing help for your child. A psychoeducational assessment analyzes the difficulties you or your child is having related to learning, looks for reasons that explain the difficulties, and then provides recommendations to address those challenges and build on the student’s strengths. The assessment can determine the presence of a learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficits such as ADHD, and other processing disorders in order to provide solution focused recommendations and supports needed to address the issues. Have you wondered…

  • Why does my child seem to struggle so much in school despite putting in so much time studying?  His grades don’t reflect his effort!

  • My child studies so hard and seems to know the material, but then fails all the tests!

  • Homework is a daily battle – there must be something else going on!

  • My son seems completely unmotivated and is getting terrible grades.  How can I help him?

  • She seems to be capable of so much more.  Why does she seem to not work to her potential?

  • Does my child needs accommodations, like a 504 or IEP?

KIRA HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN ASSESSING STUDENTS WITH:

  • Specific Learning Disabilities, including Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyslexia

  • Attention deficits, including ADHD

  • Executive Functioning Deficits

  • Intellectual Disabilities

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Mental health issues such as Anxiety and Depression

TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS OFFERED:

1. INTELLIGENCE TESTING

Assessment is often sought for Intelligence testing for admission to gifted programs such as GATE and MENSA.  This is often referred to as IQ testing, and is typically administered in just one session. 

2. PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

The comprehensive, personalized diagnostic assessment uncovers learning weaknesses, as well as strengths to build upon to help your child progress academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally.  Where appropriate, provision of a psychoeducational diagnosis for educationally related issues, such as dyslexia, anxiety, or ADHD, provides specific information on how to help your child address challenges and move toward success.  The in depth assessment includes detailed, helpful recommendations tailored to your student’s needs for easy implementation at home and school settings to maximize success. 

3. ADULT ASSESSMENT

For students of all ages (yes, college students and adult learners too!) a diagnostic assessment can provide valuable information on learning strengths and weaknesses.  We never stop learning, and that means as adults, we are lifelong learners! Many times, college students and adults seek an assessment for themselves – maybe school was always a struggle, they’ve always wondered if they had an attention deficit or learning disability, or they just want to know how they learn best.  An adult assessment offers information that can be utilized to maximize learning employment skills or college and vocational success. 

4. CONSULTATION

If you are considering an assessment, please know that you can contact your school district to request an assessment, free of charge.  Typically, your school will go through a Student Study Team meeting (or similar meeting) to discuss your concerns and the educational impact to determine if an assessment is warranted.  Simply contact your child’s school to make this request. Many parents already have completed assessments and IEP’s, and simply seek Kira's services for consultation to review existing information and provide recommendations from an experienced resource outside of their school system.  Very often, simply obtaining a “second opinion” from a trusted outside source is helpful. Kira is available for consultation with parents on reviewing existing assessments, providing new assessments, and navigating the Student Study Team, 504 and IEP processes for general and special education.

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