One Sherman Oaks evaluation opens every door.
When something feels off with your child, you want two things: a clear answer, and what to do next. Dr. Anna Levi gives you both. More than twenty years of experience behind one evaluation, accepted by insurance, schools, Social Security, and the Regional Centers, so your child gets what they qualify for: support at school through an IEP or 504 plan, therapy, one-on-one help like ABA. Started early, that support is often the difference between a child who keeps struggling and one who's improving, at school and at home.
The same evaluation opens four doors.
An evaluation is only worth what you can do with it. Dr. Levi writes hers to a standard all four of California's major support systems accept directly, so one assessment does the work of four and you're never starting over at the next desk.
Regional Centers
For a child whose results show a qualifying developmental disability, like autism or an intellectual disability: hundreds of hours of covered one-on-one services like ABA, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, without the months-long waitlist.
Health Insurance
The documentation insurers require to authorize covered therapies and follow-up care.
School Districts
The basis for an IEP or 504 plan, so your child gets the classroom support and accommodations they need to do better in school.
Social Security
The proof Social Security needs to approve disability benefits for a child who qualifies.
An evaluation is only as good as what it unlocks. Most private testing isn't accepted directly by these systems, so families end up paying to test all over again. Dr. Levi's is accepted by all four.
North Hollywood office · 12658 Tiara Street, Unit 1, North Hollywood, CA 91607 · about 10 minutes from Sherman Oaks
Why every system says yes.
Whether a system accepts an evaluation comes down to one thing: do the people reading it trust it? Dr. Levi has spent more than twenty years on the other side of that desk. She has worked with and been contracted by Regional Centers, insurers, and school districts, and the reports she submits to them, and to Social Security, are accepted for qualifying diagnoses. She knows exactly what each one looks for, uses the gold-standard measures they expect, and writes to that standard the first time.
That matters most when your child qualifies for serious support. You don't want to bounce between agencies or lose months on a waitlist in the years that help your child the most. One evaluation, written to be accepted everywhere, gets them what they're entitled to far sooner.
Our fee covers the evaluation itself and is never tied to a particular finding. The diagnosis is whatever the data supports, weighed against every test result and observation we gather, so the picture is as thorough and objective as we can make it.
A real answer you can act on.
Most parents who call aren't looking for a quick label. They want to understand what's actually going on with their child and what to do next. That's what the evaluation gives you: a clear picture of your child and a plan you can actually use.
Sometimes that means a clear diagnosis and a roadmap for support. Sometimes it means hearing that your child is bright, with real strengths, and just needs the right help in a couple of areas to put them to use. Either way, you stop guessing, which is usually why you called.
Each one comes with a plan you can act on and a clear read on what your child qualifies for.
What to expect.
A free 10-minute call
Tell Dr. Levi what's going on. She'll tell you honestly whether testing makes sense and what it would involve. Nothing to commit to.
The testing session
To your child, it feels more like games and puzzles than a test. Behind the scenes, those games are the same gold-standard, research-backed measures clinicians rely on, just given in a way that feels like play. There is a reason for that: a child's most accurate results come out when they are relaxed, not on guard. It's in person, usually a single visit, and most families are seen within five business days of that first call.
Your answers, and a plan
After testing, Dr. Levi spends about a week and a half on the analysis, the careful part that makes the findings hold up everywhere. About ten days later you sit down together, go through what she found in plain language, and leave knowing exactly what to do next and where your child qualifies for support.
When it's your child, experience is the whole point.
Dr. Levi has run this evaluation more than 8,750 times. One free ten-minute call tells you whether testing makes sense and what it could change for your child.
Book a Free 10-Min ConsultQuestions Sherman Oaks families ask.
How much does an assessment cost?
It depends on your child. Since every child is unique, the right evaluation isn't the same for everyone, so the best way to get a real number is the free 10-minute call. Tell us what's going on, and we'll walk you through exactly what your child's evaluation would involve and what it costs.
How long until we have answers?
Faster than you'd expect. Most families are seen within about five business days of the first call, usually in a single visit. Dr. Levi then spends about a week and a half on the analysis, the careful part that makes the findings hold up with insurance, schools, Social Security, and the Regional Centers. Roughly ten days after testing, you sit down together and leave with answers and a plan.
Can't I just get a free evaluation through the Regional Center?
You can, and for some families that is the right call. It is worth knowing what "free" really costs, though. Under California's Lanterman Act, a child with a qualifying developmental disability has a lifelong right to free services through the Regional Center: therapy, in-home support, and day programs. The catch is the wait. The free evaluation runs through a backlog, with several appointments and several gatekeepers, and it commonly takes six to ten months just to get tested. A rejection partway through that sends you back to the start is common, which stretches it out further. Their testing also looks only at developmental disabilities like autism and intellectual delay, so many of the concerns that brought you in may never be assessed at all. And the whole time you wait, your child is missing the early support that makes the biggest difference.
Schools, insurers, and the state all work the same way: none of them unlock services until someone hands them a credible evaluation. So it comes down to two options. Wait in the backlog for a free state evaluation and lose months in the years your child needs help most, or go private and skip the line.
Do you take insurance?
We don't bill insurance for the assessment itself; it is paid privately. We do provide a detailed superbill you can submit to your insurer, and PPO plans will often reimburse part of the cost. What makes it worth it is what the evaluation does next: if services turn out to be necessary, Dr. Levi's report is accepted by insurance, schools, Social Security, and the Regional Centers, which is what opens the door to covered support.
How do I even know if my child needs one?
If something feels off, that is reason enough. Maybe milestones are slipping, the school raised a concern, things are hard socially, or you just have a gut feeling. You do not need a referral or a neat explanation to call. Plenty of our families come in simply wanting clarity, and the free consult helps you decide whether testing makes sense.
What does an assessment actually change for my child?
More than most parents expect. If services are necessary, the fact that insurance, schools, Social Security, and the Regional Centers all accept Dr. Levi's report is what gives a qualifying child access to real support: one-on-one therapy like ABA and speech, group programs run by certified professionals, and accommodations at school through an IEP or 504 plan. The earlier that support is in place, the more it can do.
What makes Dr. Levi different from other providers?
Two things. First, what her evaluation can do: insurance, schools, Social Security, and the Regional Centers all accept it, so one evaluation does the work of four instead of a fresh eligibility fight at every desk.
Second, the experience behind it. Dr. Levi has been licensed in California since 2004, has completed more than 8,750 evaluations, and is the psychologist attorneys call as their expert witness when another psychologist's diagnosis is contested in court. This is an evaluation that can shape your child's path for years, and that is the kind of experience you want making the call.
What if we get a diagnosis we weren't expecting, or don't agree with?
This is one of the most common worries, and a fair one. A diagnosis sits on a spectrum, not a simple yes or no, and after more than twenty years and thousands of families, no honest psychologist would promise you a process where mistakes never happen. What I can tell you is that the experience we bring, and how thorough we are at every step, in the room, in the measures we use, and in the week and a half of analysis afterward, makes that very unlikely.
And even when the answer isn't the one a parent hoped for, the child still gets real support in the years that count most, builds skills, and often catches up to where they should be. What actually sets a child back is waiting, because the early window is when help works best.
Will the assessment be stressful or scary for my child?
No. We build the sessions to feel easy, even fun. Most of the tasks look like games and puzzles, even though they are the same proven, research-backed tools used in the most rigorous evaluations. We have worked with thousands of kids of every temperament, and if your child needs a break, we take one. The goal is to see them at their best, so we set it up that way.
Where are you, and how far is it from Sherman Oaks?
We have two offices, in North Hollywood and Pico-Robertson. For Sherman Oaks families, the North Hollywood location is the close one, usually about ten minutes away. Assessments are done in person, and we offer telehealth for therapy. Tell us where you are on the consult call and we'll book whichever is easiest.
Serving Sherman Oaks and nearby.
Dr. Levi also works with families in neighboring communities across the Valley and the Westside:
Not sure if your child needs an assessment?
That is exactly what the free call is for. Ten minutes with Dr. Levi, no pressure, and you will know whether testing is the right next step.
Book a Free 10-Min Consult