questions about neuropsych eval

An Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense is when the school district picks up the tab. This can be done when there is a disagreement about the evaluation. You would need to write a letter to the school requesting an IEE. You can ask your pediatrician for a list of good neuropsychs in your area and request one of them do the evaluation.

http://www.neuropsychologycentral.com/interface/content/resources/resources_interface_frameset.html This site has a great explaination of what you can expect from a neuospych eval.

http://www.studentadvocacycenter.org/sampleletters/ISE_eval.shtml Here is a sample letter for requesting an IEE. Its from Michigan so you will have to look up the proper code for your state. This, at least, gives you a place to start. :)

http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/ma.htm Here are some resources in MA that you may find helpful.

Hope this helps.

We see a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician. She follows up on my son each year. My physician stated to me that its not necessary to go for every test out there. Depending upon the depth of your pocketbook and how much you are willing to spend on testing. If the child is getting adaquate services in school, that’s all that matters.

What are you looking for? A diagnosis? A treatment plan? A double check upon the school’s evaluations and goals on the IEP?

A neurodevelopmental pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist can help with these questions. Let us know how the appointment goes.

Thank you for all the information.

I guess I am looking for a diagnosis since it seems without one the school can’t do much for her. I am not opposed to labeling however, I can’t believe I need to go through all this for them to acknowledge she need extra help beyond “she can stay after school if she needs extra help” They haven’t caught up with the concept of Differentiated Instruction. I’ve never heard of a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician but I see Pediatric Neurologists on the list. I will let you know.

I think I may have missed out on the school paying for it because when she was tested in 5th grade I signed something that I am guessing waived my rights to that—which is probably why they are hedging at the idea of retesting.

It’s very hard to go up against the school system. I think it’s a great idea to see a physican. Schools are more likely to implement a physicians statment or request than for you to fight the school on your own. Let us know how the appointment goes.

I work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, which is a non-profit children’s hospital in Baltimore, MD. It operates closely with Johns Hopkins Hospital/University, and in addition to treating patients, we also do a lot of research. My lab does research on learning disabilities, and we actually pay participants (a nominal amount) to come in and have a battery of academic and neuropsychological assessments and in some cases an fMRI (which is non-invasive). In return for participants, parents get a full report of the child’s scores, and these can be taken to any specialist (doctor, special educator, etc) to diagnose an LD (we do not diagnose as this is a part of a research study). I would look into local hospitals and universities to see if they have anything like this, as a lot of similar research is being done across the country. Or, of course, if you were willing to come to Baltimore you could be in our study :). Good luck with everything regardless.

We had a private eval done. It cost 800$, I was told that sometimes the school testing is not adequate…have you checked out the wrightslaw website? It has some interesting information on sub tests etc.

Citykat13- we aren’t to far from you (NJ) are there any studies being done about possible learning disabilities in 7 year olds?

thanks

Cherryl, currently our age range is from 8-17, and then 18-24 (for our one adult study), but depending on when your child’s birthday is, that might not be that long of a wait for him/her to be the right age… I will email you a copy of our fliers so you can get a better idea of what we do.

Thanks, that would be great, my daugter is just turning 7, but maybe next year…

my email is [email protected]