About
Radha Richmond, MA, MA, Ed.S, ABSNP is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (CA LEP #3249) and a Diplomate of the American Board of School Neuropsychology, practicing since 2008.
Radha specializes in psychoeducational and school neuropsychological assessments for autism, inattention/hyperactivity (ADHD), executive functioning challenges, and learning disabilities affecting reading, writing, and math. She has a particular passion for dyslexia and related reading difficulties, believing reading is foundational to all other learning, and for executive functioning, a skill set essential to reaching any goal at any age.
Having conducted hundreds of evaluations over her career, Radha is committed to producing evaluations that are thorough, holistic, and genuinely useful — not just a report, but a resource. Her practice serves individuals and families through private evaluations, independent educational evaluations (IEEs) for public school IEP teams, and assessments for students in private school settings whose teams need a clearer picture of how to support them. Her goal in every evaluation is the same: to give each person a clear answer to the question that brought them in, along with evidence-based, actionable recommendations that make a real difference going forward.
Radha's understanding of teaching and learning runs deep. She began her career as a secondary classroom teacher, then went on to teach at the college and graduate level at UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Saint Mary's College of California, and Brandman University. She also brings a decade of leadership experience in special education, having served as both a special education principal and a SELPA program specialist, consulting with school districts, special education directors, and site staff. She has helped build numerous programs for students with autism and has deep expertise in evidence-based autism practices, gained in part through her involvement with a statewide organization dedicated to disseminating this knowledge to school districts and families.
This combination of assessment expertise, classroom teaching experience, and legal and programmatic knowledge of special education is rare in the field — giving Radha a uniquely comprehensive perspective on every case she takes on.
A dedicated and knowledgeable educational psychologist with two decades of experience in the field of education/special education and educational psychology.
“I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.”
Who We Serve
Working with Children & Adolescents
Radha conducts assessments for students from preschool through graduate school. Her practice includes private evaluations for individuals and families, as well as independent educational evaluations (IEEs) for parents and school districts seeking an objective source of information for the IEP team. Radha approaches every IEE with a commitment to fairness and objectivity — her focus is always on gathering real, reliable data that gives families an answer they can actually trust, regardless of what that answer turns out to be.
In addition to identifying learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism, Radha has particular experience identifying gifted children, including twice-exceptional learners whose giftedness can sometimes mask or be masked by a co-occurring learning difference. Recognizing giftedness — and understanding what a gifted child needs to truly thrive — is an area she cares deeply about.
Radha also works closely with students in private school settings, conducting evaluations that help school teams understand a student's full profile and put the right supports in place, even outside the more formal structure of a public school IEP process.
Radha has given more than 300 presentations to educators, including teachers, principals, instructional assistants, school psychologists, speech therapists, behaviorists, and school counselors — experience that keeps her closely connected to how schools identify, support, and advocate for students. She has also helped build numerous programs for students with autism at the district level, giving her firsthand insight into what effective school-based support actually looks like.
For families, Radha's goal is to make a complicated process feel clear: a thorough evaluation, a straightforward explanation of what's going on, and a concrete plan that helps your child access the curriculum and thrive — at school and at home.
Working with Adults
Radha also conducts assessments for adults, including college students, graduate students, and working professionals. Many adults come to her after years of sensing that something — focus, reading, organization, follow-through, or managing multiple demands at once — has always been harder for them than it seemed to be for others, without ever having a clear answer as to why. Others come seeking accommodations for graduate school, licensing exams, or the workplace, or simply looking for validation and understanding after a lifetime of unanswered questions.
Adult evaluations often surface long-standing patterns that were never identified in childhood — whether because ADHD, autism, or a learning difference went unrecognized in school, or because coping strategies and intelligence masked a challenge for years. Anxiety, too, often develops alongside these patterns, as a lifetime of unexplained struggle takes its toll. Radha takes the time to understand each adult's full history and current life demands, not just a snapshot of how they perform on a given day, so that the evaluation reflects the real, lived experience behind the referral question.
Radha's years of experience teaching and presenting to adult learners — including college and graduate-level instruction at UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Saint Mary's College of California, and Brandman University — give her a natural fluency in how adult minds learn, process information, and problem-solve. Her time in the college classroom also gives her firsthand insight into what accommodations actually look like — and actually work — for students navigating lectures, exams, and coursework at the university level, knowledge she draws on directly when making recommendations for her college-age clients.
For adults, testing can be a turning point — not just a diagnosis, but a clear, evidence-based explanation for patterns that may have caused frustration, self-doubt, or a sense of not living up to one's own potential for years. Radha's goal is to offer the same clarity she provides families: an evaluation that finally puts a name to lifelong patterns, paired with practical, evidence-based recommendations for accommodations, strategies, and supports that make a real difference in daily life, work, and relationships. Whether the goal is academic accommodations, workplace support, or simply understanding oneself more fully, Radha approaches every adult evaluation with the same rigor, compassion, and respect she brings to her work with children and families.
Degrees, Licenses, Credentials
Education Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree in School Psychology from Chapman University
Masters of Arts (M.A.) in Educational Psychology from Chapman University
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Education from University of California, Santa Barbara
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from University of California, Davis
CA Board of Behavioral Sciences- Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) #3249
Diplomate, American Board of School Neuropsychology #11058
CA Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential - Clear
CA Clear Administrative Services Credential
Why I do what I do
Helping people has never felt like a job to me — it's the thread that runs through both my personal and professional life.
That calling took shape in the classroom. As a teacher, I kept coming back to the same question: why did some children thrive in school while others, just as bright and capable, struggled to keep up? I felt the limits of my own training — I didn't yet have the tools to understand how different minds learn, or how to adapt instruction so every student could truly access the curriculum. That frustration became the spark that led me into educational psychology, where I could finally start answering the "why."
Becoming a parent gave that calling new depth. It changed how I see the families I work with — I understand, in a very personal way, the hope and worry that comes with wanting your child to be understood and supported. That perspective shapes every evaluation I do and every conversation I have with parents.
And it's not just families I serve — I work with adults too, many of whom spent years wondering why certain things felt harder for them than they seemed to for everyone else. Whatever your age, getting to understand how your mind works — your strengths, your challenges, the story behind them — is some of the most meaningful work I get to do.
I'm continually struck by the resilience and individuality of the people I work with. Getting to know each person's story, and helping them find real answers and a path forward, is a privilege I don't take for granted.
Background and Experience
Wide-Ranging Knowledge and Expertise
Radha has been trained in the following:
Advanced Level Training in Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS)
Assistive Technology Assessment and Services
Dyslexia: Assessment, Evidenced-Based Practices, and Intervention
Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Training for Dyslexia Intervention (40 hours)
Educationally Related Mental Health Assessment (ERMHS)
Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses Model for Specific Learning Disability Assessment
Cross-Cultural Neuropsychological Assessment
School Neuropsychological Assessment
Evidenced-Based Practices for Autism
Positive Behavior Supports
Graduate Education Instructor
Radha has taught at the graduate level for over a decade. Courses Taught:
Assessment for Special Education
Teaching Students with Mild/Moderate Learning Disabilities
Communication, Collaboration, and Consultation
Positive Behavior Supports
Learning Theory
Law and Ethics for School Psychologists
Seasoned and Passionate Trainer
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
In addition to this experience, Radha has trained hundreds of people on a wide range of topics.
Topics include:
Best Practices for Dyslexia Assessment
Positive behavior supports for children in schools
How to conduct a functional behavioral assessment
Evidence-Based Practices for students with Autism
Academic assessment
Best practices for assessing African-American students
IEP analysis: Educational Benefit
How to write a legally compliant IEP
How to write S.M.A.R.T. Goals for IEPs
Co-Teaching Best Practices in Schools
Radha has been a Certified Trainer for:
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NCI)
As well as a Trainer of Trainers for:
Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP)
Positive Behavioral Supports
Evidenced Based Practices for Autism
Trauma Informed Education