School shouldn't HURT!

Finding the right path makes the journey easier...

Herman & Associates in
South Pasadena, also serving San
Marino, La Canada, San
Gabriel Valley, and Los Angeles

Herman & Associates
is also in
Santa Clarita Valley/Valencia!

Psychodiagnostic Evaluations for ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Intellectually Gifted.

Psychotherapy and Coaching for Success!

Herman & Associates
...Assessment
...Therapy
...Peace of Mind

Herman & Associates: Psychodiagnostic Evaluations 

Assessment - Treatment - Success!

Email: admin@docherman.com

Business Office: 1137 Huntington Drive, Building A South Pasadena, CA 90130 323.344.0123

Santa Clarita/Valencia Office: 27201 Tourney Road, Suite 201-U Valencia, CA 91355 661.286.1200



Note: Assessments are only being completed in the South Pasadena/Los Angeles office at this time.

There are many potential reasons for underperformance at school, work, or on the job. For over 30 years Herman & Associates has provided private, independent, comprehensive psychodiagnostic / psychoeducational assessments for individuals suspecting that they have an attention disorder (ADHD / ADD), specific learning disability (SLD), social (pragmatic) communication disorder, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), and/or social-emotional factors (anxiety, depression, etc.) contributing to diminished performance. We have an experienced, licensed, multidisciplinary team of professionals who assess children (over 4 years old), adolescents, and adults to determine the underlying reasons for poor performance.

Cost: Full assessments are costly and time consuming. They require about five 3-hour sessions of time to complete and costs around $5,000. Herman & Associates practices independently from health insurance. We will provide a statement that clients may submit to their insurance company for reimbursement

 Best Practice Assessments

  • Our psychodiagnostic evaluations testing protocols for ADHD, ADD, SLD, ASD, social (pragmatic) communicaiton disorder, and other issues meet or exceed "best practice" and our experienced multidisciplinary team of professionals help individuals understand the challenges they have encountered. These psychoeducational assessments are often the turning point in a person's life. An accurate diagnosis validates why an individual has been struggling and provides both clarity and relief when they better understand precisely what is causing the problems. They not only leave the psychodiagnostic assessment process knowing what the problem is, and what it is not, but they have a comprehensive plan on how to address it. Self-awareness is the first key step in being able to take charge of a problem and make the corrections necessary for success!

    Our comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessments closely examine many factors associated with the learning process. Our assessments take the best from psychology, education, and neuropsychology. This includes in-depth interviewing and testing in the attention, cognition, academic, and social-emotional domains. They are designed to meet or exceed the testing criteria outlined by the Collegeboard for Students with Disabilities.

    Our assessments can take between 10-15 hours of time (depending on how quickly a student works) because we believe that the most accurate results are founded in how well we know the client.

 Psychodiagnostic Evaluations

  • Independent psychological and educational assessments provide information useful in understanding the role of inattention, learning disabilities, or emotional issues in academic under-performance. The first step to learn about the client's past: gather historical information, prior diagnoses, and interventions that worked or failed and analyze what went right and what went wrong. The next step is to set up an assessment plan based on what we know. Psychodiagnostic testing is available for children, adolescents, and adults.

    • Psychological Testing
    • Educational Assessments
    • Evaluations for:
      • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
      • Learning Disabilities (LD) involving reading / dyslexia, math, writing, language-based disabilities, fine-motor coordination, visual-motor integration, processing speed, and poor academic fluency.
      • Intellectually Gifted / Twice Exceptional (Gifted and ADHD/LD/ASD)
      • Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorders, which involves persistent problems with the use of verbal and nonverbal social communication
      • Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), such as Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism
      • Substance Abuse
      • Affect Regulation and Emotional Issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, generalized anxiety disorder

Once the testing is completed, our expert team meets and comes to conclusions and recommendations.

The final step is to meet with the client (or parents) and explain the results in detail along with our recommendations for follow up.

Our team members are available to attend IEP meetings at school for an additional charge.

 Review Boards

  • Our psychoeducational assessments are designed to meet or exceed the testing criteria for many types of standardized exams, including the ISEE, HSPT, SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, State Bar Exams, MCAT, Medical Exams , GMAT, MAT, DAT, PCAT, OAT, Nursing Exam, Pharmacy Exam, Dental Exam, among others.

    Our comprehensive assessments provide thorough documentation for testing accommodations that might include: extended time on tests, ability to test in a minimally distracting environment, extra and/or extended breaks, readers or audio-recordings of exam questions, use of a computer, and other possible ways to "level the playing field" for students with disabilities.

    Our comprehensive assessments meet the seven guidelines for documentation set forth by the Collegeboard:

    • Statement of the specific disability.
    • Provide current documentation (psychoeducational evaluation within 5 years).
    • Provide relevant educational, developmental, and medical history supporting the disability.
    • The report should describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis, which includes all testing data.
    • Describe the functional limitations of the disability.
    • Describe the specific accommodations recommended and the rationale for using them.
    • Establish the professional credentials of the evaluator or team.

 Experience Matters

  • Herman & Associates has an ideal multidisciplinary diagnostic team of professionals. We have ample experience as classroom teachers, school administrators, program designers, school psychologists, licensed psychologists, and private practitioners. We base our well-respected practice on our personal sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy, and thorough documentation.

 Independent Evaluations

Because we are a fee for service company, our only client is the person we are testing. We are not tied to insurance companies or other large organizations that might have an underlying agenda. We remain truly independent are work hard to serve our client's needs. We strive for truth and accuracy and this applies to our Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE).

 Payment

Our assessments are based on a "fee for service" arrangement. To start an assessment, our clients make a 50% payment. This pays for the final conference and allows the paperwork to be forwarded to our Director for scheduling. The final 50% is paid during the assessment process so that all fees are paid by the final conference. The total cost of an assessment is determined at the Initial Conference, but private evaluations generally cost $5,400.

Outside of the Caltech health insurance, we do not bill health insurance. Instead we will provide a statement that you can submit to your health insurance for possible reimbursement. Health savings accounts will likely fund this assessment.

 Fly In / Fly Out Evaluations

  • We commonly have clients who live outside the Los Angeles area and are interested in an assessment from us. In these cases we arrange a "fly-in/fly-out" evaluation. We typically arrange an Initial Conference via an on-line video service (e.g., Skype) and set up the entire process at that time. Our students then fly into LAX with their parents and we dedicate 5-7 days of testing for them. The student usually comes to the office daily for testing 8am to 11am and then is off with their family to explore the LA area, which is a wonder vacation sight with lots to see (e.g., Disneyland, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain). At the end of the testing period, clients typically fly home and the final conference is held a week later via video chat. The final report is completed roughly three weeks later and mailed. E-mailed PDF versions are available.

 Team Approach

One of the foundations of Herman & Associates is our team approach. We have a multidisiplinary team of professionals who work with students and we invite outside professional to our internal case conference, when appropriate. We consult with a number of professionals that include:

  • Medical: Doctors, therapists, and other medical service providers.
  • Legal: Attorneys and advocates.
  • Educational: Educational therapists, academic tutoring, professional "study buddies."
  • Additional Services: Speech and Language therapists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists.
  • Academic Professionals: Classroom teachers, school administrators, district office personal.
  • Wrap Around Service: We are available to attend teacher meetings, visit alternative schools, attend SST or IEP meetings at school.

 Research-based Practice

Dr. Herman was a member of an elite research team that published one of the very few longitudinal studies completed tracking special education students with learning disabilities, attention disorders, and autistic spectrum disorders from childhood into adulthood. This research team's publications areĀ available for downloading here. The research team developed a set of attributes that predicts adult success. These "Success Attributes" have little to do with education or intelligence, but they are rather a set of personal characteristics and responses to struggle/challenges. This is a fascinating read. Dr. Herman and his research colleagues presented these papers at local, national, and international conferences.

Contact Information