A quick question for all of you. My 15 year old is set up for a IE at the end of this month. Usually, with this nueropsych, there is a meeting with the parent at one appointment, then the testing of the child, an appointment where she meets with the parent and child to explain the disabilities and the impact they have and lastly a meeting with the parent and the district to discuss the an appropriate IEP. I got a call from the district the other day that to let me know that this nueropsych wants to met with me AND the district to discuss what the district vaguely termed “what we all want to get out of the testing”. It seems to me that if this is truley to be an IE then the districts involvment in the testing and the discussions that go along with it are a conflict of interest. Oh, and there is to be no meeting with just myself as the parent…….maybe I am just being paranoid but something doesn’t seem kosher……what do ya think?
Re: Independent Evaluatoin......
Tink,
I too think you have every right and reason to be suspicious. I would contact the neuropsych and ask if you can speak candidly and off the record and ask what this dr. thinks of what the district is requesting.
Furthermore, mention that to you it gives the impression that the district meeting prior to the testing with the evaluator is taking away the factor of this being independent.
If you have not done this already, be specific and very respectful when asking this dr if she has any financial ties, obilgations, contract or other business dealings with this district. If the answer is anything but an immediate “no”, then I would also furthe question the independentness of this evaluation.
Without fail, if this meeting is to take place, I would plop my tape recorder down in the middle of the table and record the meeting. I would give the mandatory 24 hour notice, right down to the hour of the meeting and not take no for an answer. You would want to let the neuropsych know that you will be taping the meeting. Tell her this at the end, and only because you wanted to let her know how stressful the meetings are for you and that you walk out of there sometimes having a hard time remembering all that was said, so you use the tapes to review afterwards. Be non-chalant and possibly consider not telling her until you give the district the 24 hour notice if there is any chance she is hooked up with them at all.
As far as “what we all want to get out of the testing”, make darn sure you want complete and thorough testing in all suspected areas of deficit… word it exactly as the law states it.
Remember, you aren’t really paranoid if they are after you!
Best regards.
Andy
Can’t imagine why your a little weary of the districts intnentions,Tink? (being very sarcastic) There is a discprencany a lot of the time with neuropsych evals,and State criteria for placement decisions. So I could potentially see the need to meet with the district,but they CAN NOT,dictate as a condition for this eval,that you as the parent may not meet with the evaluator alone. This is a control issue,BIG TIME. If the evaluator is refusing a parent/evaluator conference I would find another evaluator,if this is an IEE you can do this.