Ratings and Comments

Here is what people are saying about this service

Average Rating: 5 /5 Stars


Number of Ratings: 12
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Comment:
We have a 3 year old son with autism who is enrolled in our local school district’s preschool special day class. A few months after enrollment, we began to feel the class was not appropriate for his level of functioning, and we witnessed a regression in our son’s speech and an increase in his challenging behaviors. We needed an expert to determine what was happening and if our son might benefit from a new classroom placement, as well as after-school, intervention services to address his behaviors. From the very first phone conversation with Dr. Davidson, we knew she was the perfect fit. She listened to all of our concerns and wishes and she provided exceptional advice. She explained the entire process for our IEP meeting, and because of her past leadership positions with several school districts, she was able to ensure district decision makers were present at the IEP. Most important, Dr. Davidson’s professional presentation and review of her comprehensive evaluation report on our son was critical to the success of our IEP meeting. We are extremely pleased with the positive outcome of the IEP meeting, and our son is now benefiting from after-school intervention services. Furthermore, after she conducted a classroom observation of our son, Dr. Davidson recommended a more appropriate classroom placement, which was also generously granted by the school district. We give Dr. Chris Davidson our highest possible recommendation to any parents seeking an outstanding psychologist and advocate for your child with special needs.
Score: 5


Date: 2012-03-14 02:23:28

Comment:
DON’T GO TO AN IEP WITHOUT HER! That is the best piece of advice you will ever get! Dr. Chris is able to communicate to school district personnel in their language while maintaining their respect and credibility throughout the process. She KNOWS what she is talking about, everything from goals, to placements, to the personality of the child. I would trust her to be a Godparent to my son if I could. She is worth every cent and after 17 years of school district conversations, I am in a place where I have seen it all. Do yourself a huge favor, and set aside a budget for her to attend your annual meetings; you will make it back ten fold in your child’s education. Your friend in special ed, Debra DeMent Special Mom
Score: 5


Date: 2012-02-12 14:31:48

Comment:
Love Dr. Chris! She was able to obtain services for our son that he badly needed. She's very professional and yet so kind and compassionate. She's been our son's educational psychologist for almost 4 years now. I wish we found her sooner. I always feel better after talking to her if we have issues with the School district.
Score: 5


Date: 2012-02-11 23:03:07

Comment:
We have a 3 year old son with autism who is enrolled in our local school district’s preschool special day class. A few months after enrollment, we began to feel the class was not appropriate for his level of functioning, and we witnessed a regression in our son’s speech and an increase in his challenging behaviors. We needed an expert to determine what was happening and if our son might benefit from a new classroom placement, as well as after-school, intervention services to address his behaviors. From the very first phone conversation with Dr. Davidson, we knew she was the perfect fit. She listened to all of our concerns and wishes and she provided exceptional advice. She explained the entire process for our IEP meeting, and because of her past leadership positions with several school districts, she was able to ensure district decision makers were present at the IEP. Most important, Dr. Davidson’s professional presentation and review of her comprehensive evaluation report on our son was critical to the success of our IEP meeting. We are extremely pleased with the positive outcome of the IEP meeting, and our son is now benefiting from after-school intervention services. Furthermore, after she conducted a classroom observation of our son, Dr. Davidson recommended a more appropriate classroom placement, which was also generously granted by the school district. We give Dr. Chris Davidson our highest possible recommendation to any parents seeking an outstanding psychologist and advocate for your child with special needs.
Score: 5


Date: 2010-07-12 16:22:40

Comment:
Our son was diagnosed with Autism before the age of three and suffered from language delays, gross and fine motor skills, sensory and social skills deficiencies. Initially, our school district did not want to provide an appropriate preschool or any therapies for our child, even though he qualified for Special Education Services. This put us on a quest to find an Educational Psychologist. Dr. Davidson conducted a Comprehensive Psycho-Educational Evaluation that was powerful and key in obtaining services for our son. Dr. Davidson’s evaluation was prepared methodically and with concerted effort so it was indisputable. She attends all of our child’s Individual Education Program (I.E.P.) meetings with the school district. We have less anxiety at I.E.P. meetings and Administrative Review Meetings with the Regional Center because we know we are in “good hands” and that is “priceless.” Dr. Davidson’s expertise, knowledge, and assertive style is unsurpassed. She possesses a unique talent to bring about consensus and negotiate so children receive the most appropriate therapies and programs. Dr. Davidson is very knowledgeable about Special Education Law, curriculum and standards. We give her great latitude to speak in our behalf during the I.E.P. meetings. She is a phenomenal advocate and the child’s voice. We have developed so much trust in her, and continue to have no doubt in our minds that she will advocate for our child to the fullest as she has the past three years. In addition, Dr. Davidson’s evaluation also facilitated the process in obtaining Relationship Development Intervention (R.D.I.) Therapy for our child from a California Regional Center. We are very pleased to say that our child now attends a mainstream private school and is making great strides. She is a consummate professional, has a thorough understanding of all children and is an undisputed expert in her field. Dr. Davidson is always accessible via telephone or email and never too busy to speak to you. Our family has been blessed and our child now has a brighter future because of Dr. Davidson’s strong, tireless, devoted and professional advocacy.
Score: 5


Date: 2010-05-05 18:21:36

Comment:
We have worked with Dr. Davidson for our son with autism for five years. Her assessments have been very thorough, she accurately and thoroughly documents present levels of performance, writes appropriately challenging and measurable goals, effectively defends the goals, and when necessary forces accountability with the school district in IEPs. She is an extremely effective negotiator and advocate at IEPs. Dr. Davidson also works effectively with our private speech therapists, occupational therapists, and behavioral specialists to bring together a very effective team to help our son. She demonstrates the highest level of professionalism and integrity. Finally, she is very personable, and easy to work with.
Score: 5


Date: 2010-03-30 23:05:36

Comment:
When we met Dr. Davidson, our lives changed. We no longer felt like we were lost; making wrong decisions and wasting time on things that were not helping. I recall speaking to another psychologist before Dr. Chris...he was uncaring and his focus was primarily on his fees. Dr. Chris helps families...straight up. She has an amazing heart and by far has been our greatest asset and ally in our journey. In the 5 years or so we have had her on our team, we have never been refused any services from our school district (save for a few msc "extra" requests we really didn't expect). We have been amazed. Dr. Chris knows everyone, and those she doesn't, she will get to know them! Everyone repects her. She attends all of our IEPs. Sometimes she pretty much runs them. Her background makes her the most qualified in the room. She remembers everything and leaves no stone unturned. Our son is doing fantastic. I am convinced things would be different had it not been for Dr. Chris' professional guidance, support and friendship. We can not recommend her enough!
Score: 5


Date: 2010-03-28 11:54:27

Comment:
October 2009 We have a 14 year old son with mild cerebral palsy. He has struggled in school for years and we have fought for years with the District to no avail. When the District allowed us to get an Independent Educational Assessment and one of the providers offered was Dr. Chris, we were excited. After talking with her on the phone we realized she was the right one. Dr. Chris understood the issues, she spent 4 days testing him, she kept him motivated to do his best and always encouraged him. The end result was a great report that Dr. Chris presented at the IEP. She detailed his weaknesses, she showed evidence from testing where his strengths were and his IQ was higher than the District which meant he had abilities given the proper environment and tools to learn. Through this process and the goals that Dr. Chris wrote which were tied directly to CA Standards, we were able to place him in a mild to moderate setting vs. the moderate to sever that the District wanted to place him in. I can honestly say that after all that we went through we wouldn't have been able to do it without Dr. Chris. We are having the best year ever and our son is making great strides.
Score: 5


Date: 2010-01-15 19:16:46

Comment:
We have been very fortunate to have Dr. Davidson perform a complete and thorough psycho-evaluation for two of our sons. We were so pleased with her commitment to finding out what each of their underlining particular difficulties were, so they could be addressed in an IEP at school. We found her expertise with school personnel invaluable to help explain complicated areas that my children struggle with daily. We felt absolutely supported by Dr. Davidson every step of the way in the process to obtain appropriate support and services for our boys. Our concerns, as parents, were respected and included in her evaluation report. It is our belief that we have been successful in our efforts to effectively communicate with our son’s teachers and school personnel his educational, social and emotional needs, because of the skillful and dedicated efforts of Dr. Chris Davidson. Natalie T. Ward
Score: 5


Date: 2009-10-20 19:42:27

Comment:
September 15, 2009 I am the mother of a thirteen year-old son that suffers from Bipolar Disorder. If managing his healthcare and treatment weren’t challenging enough, his education added another source of difficulty. More times than I can count, I have been told by mental health professionals and educators that my son is one of the most challenging cases they have seen. Although I believe that Dr. Davidson would conquer with that opinion, she has never shied away from helping him. Dr. Davidson’s comprehensive psycho-educational testing and reporting uncovered the needs and areas of weakness in our son’s learning aptitude. The detailed information that Dr. Davidson reported made the difference in the services we were able to get for our son. The objective evidence she presented to the school district on our son’s behalf was what we needed to substantiate the costly academic programs and therapies that our son desperately needed. Without Dr. Davidson’s representation and dedication to our family, I am confident that the school district would not have given us the services that my son needed; even more importantly, he wouldn’t be in school today. Dr. Davidson has truly been our son’s advocate, and she has taught my husband and me how to more effectively advocate for him as well. Dr. Davidson has become an integral part of our team and my son would not be functioning and learning at the level that he is today if it wasn’t for her. We will be forever indebted to Dr. Davidson! Elaine Roberts
Score: 5


Date: 2009-09-15 22:25:40

Comment:
Hands down, Dr. Davidson is the best. Three and one-half years ago my husband and I couldn’t have known what a prize we were getting when we made our son’s first appointment with her. Our son is on the autism spectrum, has multiple educational disabilities and learning differences. Had it not been for Dr. Davidson’s knowledge and skill, our son would still be floundering. For we parents who have children with special needs, the stakes are much higher when it comes to making certain, as much as is possible, that they are prepared for further education, employment, and independent living. We must help them understand their value, we have to learn how to meet their needs across community and school environments, and we must ensure they receive their appropriate education. The good news is Dr. Davidson can be of help. During the course of our working with her, my husband and I learned that she has a wealth of experience in the education field itself. Why is this important? She is able to masterfully take her combined experience as a teacher, a Special Education Director, an Assistant Superintendent of Student and Special Education Services, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and a full-time Lecturer at California State Long Beach in the School Psychology and Counseling Department and weave it into all she does for children. I remember the first time I heard Dr. Davidson refer in general to the children she had worked with—she called them “her children.” I wondered whether she could really care that much. Over the years, however, I’ve learned she does. I’ve watched her work with my son; her approach with him was always care-centered, and her relaxed manner made him feel at ease. While my son was getting what he needed from her, my husband and I were too. Throughout, we felt like we had a friend holding our hands to guide us, to teach us, and to support us. As for Dr. Davidson’s evaluations and reports, simply put: they’re impeccable. She conducted our son’s private evaluation as well as his Independent Educational Evaluation. She attended many IEP meetings to advance our son’s educational interests, and testified skillfully in our Due Process Hearing. Our family is very fortunate to have Dr. Davidson in our lives and on our team. She is a winner all the way around.
Score: 5


Date: 2009-09-07 23:19:03

Comment:
Dr. Chris Davidson is a licensed educational psychologist. When my son was struggling in school, we sought her help to determine exactly what was happening with him. With kindness, compassion, and great expertise, she discovered that he is on the Autism Spectrum and developed a plan of goals, recommendations, interventions, accommodations, and modifications. Her help has changed our lives for the better. She is a wonderful advocate in IEPs, helping to get services from the school that they were not inclined to provide at earlier meetings. My other son has a severe auditory processing problem, which she found. She then directed us to the best programs to remediate the problem. I cannot recommend Dr. Davidson highly enough. Her professionalism and her passion and compassion for children with special needs are amazing. Dr. Davidson will find out how best to help your child access his education. My children enjoyed the testing experience in her office; she had a wonderful manner with them and was able to win them over, which gave us accurate test results and a clear picture of their current academic, intellectual, and behavioral skills.
Score: 5


Date: 2009-09-02 13:24:33