Expert Testimony

Dr. Gale has testified in due process, OAH, state, and federal cases. His primary areas of expertise include psychoeducational assessment, behavior assessment, record reviews. With his extensive background as an independent educational evaluator, having provided services for over 65 school districts plus experience working in multiple inpatient settings , he has developed a broad clinical base and expertise.

Consultation Services

Dr. Gale's  work running social skills programs since 2003, as an IEE Assessor since 1995 and being on the leadership team of PENT since 2003 have helped me develop considerable expertise in assessing students, working as part of an IEP Team member, and developing customized interventions for students.

Typically consultations involve students who are underserved in the school environment. It may include any of the following:

  • Initial Phone Consultation This is an introduction to discuss the current situation and learn a bit about the child.
  • School Observation Typically 90 to 120 minutes (prior to recess/lunch & after), this provides an opportunity to see how the child is functioning at school. Learning about peer interactions, levels of independence and concentration, speed of task completion, and classroom participation are some of the areas noted. Additionally, learning about teaching styles and classroom makeup provides important contextual information about the student's time in class.
  • Meeting with the Student Depending upon the child and situation, anything from abbreviated to full-blown assessment or interview can be useful in learning more about the child's behavior, cognition, and personality. It isn't always necessary to conduct this portion of the consultation, it is determined on a case-by-case basis.
  • Record Review It can be most helpful to learn what past levels of functioning and progress have been noted, the types of services tried and their level of sucess.
  • Survey Completion/Teacher Interviews Having school staff (e.g., teacher(s), DIS Staff, such as speech pathologists) complete standardized and functionally-based reviews of student functioning and progress can be invaluable in developing a comprehensive view of a student's functioning from multiple perspectives.
  • Report Completion Creating a report of findings is typically critical to documenting the current situation and developing a formulation of student needs and recommendations.
  • Attending IEP/504/SST Meetings Dr. Gale does not function as a parent advocate, but rather is available to participate as a knowledgable member of the student's team with an understanding of the range of interventions and options that may be available to help the student.
  • Follow-Up Training and/or Ongoing Consultation Dr. Gale is available to provide additional school staff training if requested and is certified as a nonpublic agency through the CA Dept of Education. His company, BehaviorTech Solutions, Inc, is approved to provide continuing education credits to psychologists, MFTs, and other professionals who are licensed or certified through the Board of Psychology or Board of Behavioral Sciences.
  • Development of Customized Data-Monitoring or Social Learning Systems Through his company, BehaviorTech Solutions, Inc, Dr. Gale's and his staff can create customized apps that provide for monitoring of data-based interventions for use by the student or staff. These programs are HIPAA and FERPA compliant.