School of Education

Phone: (626) 815-6000 Ext. 5124
Email: polvera@apu.edu

Prior to joining APU, Dr. Olvera was an experienced Bilingual School Psychologist for the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD). His expertise includes differentiating academic difficulties due to language acquisition versus learning disabilities. He has experience in the assessment of the following disorders: autism, emotional disturbance, ADHD, developmental disabilities, and other health factors which may contribute to a child’s learning problems. In addition, he serves as a Behavior Intervention Case Manager (BICM) conducting Functional Behavioral Analysis and Behavior Intervention Plans for children with severe behavior problems. Dr. Olvera has been a member of the SAUSD crisis team and has provided crisis counseling for students in situations that require crisis response. He is President Elect of the Orange County Association of School Psychologists (OCASP).

Psy.D. - Alliant International University
M.A. - Azusa Pacific University
B.A. - San Diego Christian College

Credentials/Certifications
Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP)
Behavior Intervention Case Manager (BICM) - Orange County Department of Education.
Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS)
Certified Instructor - Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (Crisis Prevention Institute)

Presentations
Hiramoto, J., Olvera, P., Olvera, V.I., & Hijo di Bari, D. (2008, March). CHC and PASS theories of cognitive ability and function: Irreconcilable difference or just in need of marriage counseling. Paper presentation at the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) 2008 Convention, San Francisco, CA.

Associations, Boards, Committees
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
California Association of School Psychologists (CASP)
Orange County Association of School Psychologists (OCASP)
International Association of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (IANCI)

Research Activities - Pediatric Neurodevelopment Institute (PNI)