neuropsychologist /school?

We had our son evaluated by a neuropsychologist.
But did not ask the school to pay.
Our insurance, thank goodness, paid for it all.
We did have to pay upfront though, $1200,
and then our insurance paid us.

Our son was already being served at school
for Specific LD in reading and writing.
We just wanted more information.

After the testing we got a 7 page report
which we gave copies to his teachers, SE
and the school psychologist.

Then we had an IEP mtg and I gave copies
of his report to everyone.
Even though the school and the neruo.p
agreed on our son (SLDR&W - schoolease
and Dyslexia - neuro-ese) –– I think the
private testing helped in these ways:

- the school realized we were very, very serious
about our son and his education.
- they upped his resource time.
- they paid special attention to the warning of the
neuro that our son may be in danger of anxiety and
depression due to his disability.
- they decided to do more phonics in his remediation

For an extra $125 the neuro.p would have come to the
IEP with us. We didn’t feel it was necessary but in
other circumstances having the neuro.p there would
help.

Anne

The way the law is written we as parents can ask anything we want, but the school dosnt have to comply. So we have to use the rights we do have to get the school to do what we want….now is that ever confuseing? let me try and explain

You do not have the right to get a spicific test you name, you do have the right to get the type of testing you want done. So if you believe your child has a language based disability you can say you want a full language evaluation includeing receptive, expressive, pragmatic and auditory processing tests. but you can not demand that they do the peabody receptive and expressive or the gfw auditory processing test.

Now the school is required by law to have someone do the tests who is qualified to do them, so if the only person in your state qualified to test for auditory processing happens to be an audiologist, then they school has to contract with an audiologist. If the only person in your state who can preform the language eval tests is a slp, then they have to contract with a slp.

so where does that leave you? well why do want a nuropsychologist? what area of your sons ability do you want tested? that is what you have to put in writeing you believe your son has a nurological problem and you want _________ tested.

If someone else in your state is legally allowed to preform the testing then you dont get the nuropsychologist. (unless s/he is cheaper then the other person)

But regardless. once your child is tested in the areas you want tested if you dont agree with the results, you have a right to an independent evaluation at public expense. the school can ask why you want it, but you do not have to answer, its really best not to answer, because the minute you answer you open the door for them to argue. If you keep quite about your reasons they eighter have to give you the independent or take you to due process and prove that their report is flawless, and nothing else is needed.

In all the time I have advocated for children I have never seen a flawless report, ive seen some darn good ones, and ive seen some that are an embarrisment to their creators, but I have never seen a flawless one. And how in the world do you prove no more testing is needed?

Once you get the private eval, the district has to give you a list of qualifications for the independent evaluator (they may try to give you a list of evaluators but you dont have to use them, you can use any evaluator who meets the criteria, so long as the cost is “custamary and reasonable”) in other words you cant take the kid to a witch doctor who charges $2000.00 an hour.

A neuropyschologist is perfectly fine so long as charges are “reasonable and customary”.

Dont fall into the trap of answering the question “what part dont you agree with?, or what do you want redone?” (if you do the district might play games and try to limit your independent evaluation to just language or just visual processing) the correct answer is “I am not a psychologist, it will be up to my independent evaluator to deside what tests need to be done, I will ask her to forward the information to you”.

Thanks so much! You have given me the most direct information I have ever received in the three years I’ve been dealing with this, I’ve been getting mushy, vague answers to this question. I’m so glad I asked, excellent advic. Thanks again!

Thanks for your response. I had read your earlier post about it costing $1200. Thats why I thought to ask if I could ask the school to do it. Our insurance does not cover development problems, they have to be medical. I agree that doing an eval on the outside shows that you are serious and I too want to get to the heart of the problem instead of just dabbling around and wasting everyones time, especially my son’s. After you had the eval done did they tailor the IEP to those findings? I heard that they don’t have to because the school did not initiate the findings.

<

This is what they did in response to the IEP I called and presented
the findings:

- they upped his resource time.
- they decided to do more phonics in his remediation.

I doubt it would have happened if we hadn’t
done the private assessment - even though
it still reported the same problems.

It was more a move on our part to let the school
know that we were serious.

Hope that makes it clearer!
And wish you luck in getting some help from your school :-)

Anne

Thanks Anne, I’m sorry you did say that the first time. I appreciate your great advice. Good luck to you too!

Ohio, what area of Ohio are you in? We need advocacy help, big time. It’s a complicated ld case with an older high iq dyslexic student with an unwilling, dragging its feet, out-of-compliance and probably worse school district.

Dollars to doughnuts you have not seen a perfect private report either!!! I have seen and received private reports that were far less thorough than the ones we do, right here for free.

call the learning disability association of cuyahoga county, this is right up their ally 216-749-0013.

They will attend meetings, MFE/ETR meetings, IEP meetings, administrative review meetings and mediation too. You have to send them copies of IEP’s and MFE’S/ETR’S first. They also train parents to be advocates-no charge, I highly reccomend them.

My sister was referred to them…they gave some bad info, IMO. Could have been bad info from my sister as well.

Is their ability firsthand knowledge and experience on your part?

Yes when my kids were first identified they were a god send. I attended their classes, I could not put a price on the help they gave me. I have referred many parents to them over the years and none of them have ever had any complaints other then haveing to wait sometimes for a call back.

For a child with a learning disability in Ohio I really can not reccommend a better place to go for help, except maybe a private lawyer.