Dr. Dahlgren and WISC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

All of this happened to us with her (bolded above) and also no ADHD.

Same poster as above here. I left her office in tears based on the fear she put in me abut the dire consequences of ignoring ADHD. We had no signs but she really made me feel like to not look into it would be to ignore a death sentence that could be cured. I even started looking at my child differently between meeting with Dr. Dalhgren and the test results. Scrutinize every move she made. Is that due to her being 7 or ADHD? Oh she did X. I wonder if that is ADHD? etc...It was awful.

+1. Same with us. She can't find her music T-shirt or glasses. Is that ADHD? She missed a math problem because she forgot to carry the 1. ADHD? I should have said no to testing and moved along. But I'm not a psychologist. What if I said no and she started to struggle in school or with her peers, , have self esteem issues, etc. because I was to, stubborn to admit my child had a problem. What if early intervention now could help?

If you do use her for a WISC, at the very least take any suggestion that you child has another issue and needs a full psycolo-educational work up with a grain of salt-- especially if it doesn't ring true to you. Which is hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a good experience with her. Not sure what the PP is referring to when she said

She would never, ever make it as a private psychologist/therapist. [i]

She is a private psychologist/therapist. She does more than just testing.

If you used her for private therapy for DC, then I suppose it must be true. DD did educational testing and came out with a legitimate anxiety diagnosis and a recommendation to work with a child psychologist/ do CBT. Dr. Dahlgren referred us and and said that therapy was not in her wheelhouse-- her practice focused on testing only. But maybe your DC did therapy with her for a different reason, and anxiety just isn't in her wheelhouse? (which makes sense-- she is way too intense and impatient to work with anxious kids).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a good experience with her. Not sure what the PP is referring to when she said

She would never, ever make it as a private psychologist/therapist. [i]

She is a private psychologist/therapist. She does more than just testing.

If you used her for private therapy for DC, then I suppose it must be true. DD did educational testing and came out with a legitimate anxiety diagnosis and a recommendation to work with a child psychologist/ do CBT. Dr. Dahlgren referred us and and said that therapy was not in her wheelhouse-- her practice focused on testing only. But maybe your DC did therapy with her for a different reason, and anxiety just isn't in her wheelhouse? (which makes sense-- she is way too intense and impatient to work with anxious kids).

Is that the irony about her. She's quick to want to diagnose a child but those same children are the ones she should work with the least. I'd avoid her. There are plenty of people in the area who can administer a WISC. Private schools have lists on such people on their websites. Find a private school near you and look for names. I know St. Albans has a decent list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

All of this happened to us with her (bolded above) and also no ADHD.

Same poster as above here. I left her office in tears based on the fear she put in me abut the dire consequences of ignoring ADHD. We had no signs but she really made me feel like to not look into it would be to ignore a death sentence that could be cured. I even started looking at my child differently between meeting with Dr. Dalhgren and the test results. Scrutinize every move she made. Is that due to her being 7 or ADHD? Oh she did X. I wonder if that is ADHD? etc...It was awful.

+1. Same with us. She can't find her music T-shirt or glasses. Is that ADHD? She missed a math problem because she forgot to carry the 1. ADHD? I should have said no to testing and moved along. But I'm not a psychologist. What if I said no and she started to struggle in school or with her peers, , have self esteem issues, etc. because I was to, stubborn to admit my child had a problem. What if early intervention now could help?

If you do use her for a WISC, at the very least take any suggestion that you child has another issue and needs a full psycolo-educational work up with a grain of salt-- especially if it doesn't ring true to you. Which is hard.

My child is VERY wiggly, outside of school. He is perfectly behaved in school. Dr. D said he might have ADHD or just be anxious about the testing. She said there was no way to tell without further testing. She didn't really push for it. I asked the teacher for her thoughts and she said the kid absolutely doesn't have ADHD. The score was 145 so she doesn't just say this to "soften the blow" of a low score. I will say that my kid is wiggly...so it isn't as if i have no idea what she may have gotten the idea from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

You are right, if you are now second guessing your decision, then you should have declined the testing. Maybe declining would have given you better peace of mind.

Our insurance covers testing for ADHD, but since it's not psycho-educational testing, our provider said that they miss the diagnosis all the time, finding someone doesn't have ADHD when they actually do, especially for girls.

The point is that she seems to suggest ADHD in a high number of kids. Multiple posters have said that. You can keep arguing with the pp, but there are multiple posters making that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

You are right, if you are now second guessing your decision, then you should have declined the testing. Maybe declining would have given you better peace of mind.

Our insurance covers testing for ADHD, but since it's not psycho-educational testing, our provider said that they miss the diagnosis all the time, finding someone doesn't have ADHD when they actually do, especially for girls.

The point is that she seems to suggest ADHD in a high number of kids. Multiple posters have said that. You can keep arguing with the pp, but there are multiple posters making that point.

I am so grateful to the honest postings here since I did read the mix and did NOT even consider Sr D. I also didn;t think paying the same for a GMU student than a Psycologist was the same. We went with not a GMY student but a PHD (not Dr D) and were happy. I also don't get that part of Dr D taking A log time on reports. We got ours 15 MINUTES after we met with our PHD anad had already spent 20 minuytes reviewing the results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

You are right, if you are now second guessing your decision, then you should have declined the testing. Maybe declining would have given you better peace of mind.

Our insurance covers testing for ADHD, but since it's not psycho-educational testing, our provider said that they miss the diagnosis all the time, finding someone doesn't have ADHD when they actually do, especially for girls.

The point is that she seems to suggest ADHD in a high number of kids. Multiple posters have said that. You can keep arguing with the pp, but there are multiple posters making that point.

I am so grateful to the honest postings here since I did read the mix and did NOT even consider Sr D. I also didn;t think paying the same for a GMU student than a Psycologist was the same. We went with not a GMY student but a PHD (not Dr D) and were happy. I also don't get that part of Dr D taking A log time on reports. We got ours 15 MINUTES after we met with our PHD anad had already spent 20 minuytes reviewing the results.

I think the point is that Dr. Dahlgren doesn't just give you a score report. She gives a 4-5 page report that breaks down the WISC and explains each section, and gives behavioral observations (she said DD was casually but appropriately dressed but had unkempt hair, LOL-- at the time she wanted long hair and keeping it brushed was an issue, so it always looked stringy). I doubt much in the report matters to the committee except the actual scores (did they care that DD hated to have her hair bushed-- I doubt it. She was still admitted). But getting the actual report out of her was a challenge. We knew based on the CogAT/ NNAT that we would probably need to appeal, and actually scheduled the WISC before the denial. Still, despite multiple follow ups, we did not get the final 4-5 page score report back until the day AAP appeals were due. I had to drive to her office, where there must have been 40 score reports lines up, grab DD's then run it over to the school. So she must have pulled on hell of an all nighter.

[Anonymous]

I am a related professional who has worked with Dr. Dahlgren for years (not directly, but I've referred a ton of clients to her). I have to say, none of this makes sense to me. My clients have all, without exception, been very pleased with their experience and that is why I continue to refer people to her. Jeff can vouch that I am a very frequent poster on here and not about Dr. Dahlgren- I really am legitimate. I just wonder if all of this is started by one or two competitors. It seems really weird to me that so. many. posters. seem to have great issue with a professional that my clients all have loved in real life. Just remember this is an anonymous board and take what you read with a grain of salt. It would be really awful if someone's name was dragged through the mud publicly for no reason.. you are dealing with people's livelihoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a related professional who has worked with Dr. Dahlgren for years (not directly, but I've referred a ton of clients to her). I have to say, none of this makes sense to me. My clients have all, without exception, been very pleased with their experience and that is why I continue to refer people to her. Jeff can vouch that I am a very frequent poster on here and not about Dr. Dahlgren- I really am legitimate. I just wonder if all of this is started by one or two competitors. It seems really weird to me that so. many. posters. seem to have great issue with a professional that my clients all have loved in real life. Just remember this is an anonymous board and take what you read with a grain of salt. It would be really awful if someone's name was dragged through the mud publicly for no reason.. you are dealing with people's livelihoods.

And I'm a real mom with 2 kids in AAP, one of whom was admitted on a WISC appeal she performed, and whose profession in no way intersects with Dr. Dahlgren's, and has no professional or personal reason to tear her down. And who had an difficult experience with her. And who lives in the local community where I have talked to other moms who have also had difficulty working with her. I also know a few who were very pleased. I'm also legitimate. And I'm sure Jeff can also vouch that I follow and post on the AAP and VA public schools boards pretty regularly as a parent or kids in those programs, and a very, very small fraction of my posts are about Dr. Dahlgren. But if parents ask who is good/ avoid for AAP testing, and someone immediately pops up singer her praises (according to Jeff, the same person each time), I am going to say that that was not my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a related professional who has worked with Dr. Dahlgren for years (not directly, but I've referred a ton of clients to her). I have to say, none of this makes sense to me. My clients have all, without exception, been very pleased with their experience and that is why I continue to refer people to her. Jeff can vouch that I am a very frequent poster on here and not about Dr. Dahlgren- I really am legitimate. I just wonder if all of this is started by one or two competitors. It seems really weird to me that so. many. posters. seem to have great issue with a professional that my clients all have loved in real life. Just remember this is an anonymous board and take what you read with a grain of salt. It would be really awful if someone's name was dragged through the mud publicly for no reason.. you are dealing with people's livelihoods.

And I'm a real mom with 2 kids in AAP, one of whom was admitted on a WISC appeal she performed, and whose profession in no way intersects with Dr. Dahlgren's, and has no professional or personal reason to tear her down. And who had an difficult experience with her. And who lives in the local community where I have talked to other moms who have also had difficulty working with her. I also know a few who were very pleased. I'm also legitimate. And I'm sure Jeff can also vouch that I follow and post on the AAP and VA public schools boards pretty regularly as a parent or kids in those programs, and a very, very small fraction of my posts are about Dr. Dahlgren. But if parents ask who is good/ avoid for AAP testing, and someone immediately pops up singer her praises (according to Jeff, the same person each time), I am going to say that that was not my experience.

I concur. I have no reason to say anything about Dr. Dahlgren other than to spar other moms what I went through with her. My child did get into AAP, BTW so I'm not someone just upset about a WISC score. I actually had no issue with the WISC score. My child, on the other hand, did not click or like the Dr. very much. So I do wonder if her score would have been higher (a point or 2) had the Dr. been less rushed and abrasive and looking for ways to suck more money out of us by telling us out child showed signs of ADHD.

[Anonymous]

*spare*

[Anonymous]

Are you confined to a list of allowed WISC testers?

If you're looking for a good tester, you might want to check out the private school forum or the list of recommended testers for local private school. A WISC test is required for every private school applicant aged 6 and up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

You are right, if you are now second guessing your decision, then you should have declined the testing. Maybe declining would have given you better peace of mind.

Our insurance covers testing for ADHD, but since it's not psycho-educational testing, our provider said that they miss the diagnosis all the time, finding someone doesn't have ADHD when they actually do, especially for girls.

The point is that she seems to suggest ADHD in a high number of kids. Multiple posters have said that. You can keep arguing with the pp, but there are multiple posters making that point.

I am so grateful to the honest postings here since I did read the mix and did NOT even consider Sr D. I also didn;t think paying the same for a GMU student than a Psycologist was the same. We went with not a GMY student but a PHD (not Dr D) and were happy. I also don't get that part of Dr D taking A log time on reports. We got ours 15 MINUTES after we met with our PHD anad had already spent 20 minuytes reviewing the results.

I think the point is that Dr. Dahlgren doesn't just give you a score report. She gives a 4-5 page report that breaks down the WISC and explains each section, and gives behavioral observations (she said DD was casually but appropriately dressed but had unkempt hair, LOL-- at the time she wanted long hair and keeping it brushed was an issue, so it always looked stringy). I doubt much in the report matters to the committee except the actual scores (did they care that DD hated to have her hair bushed-- I doubt it. She was still admitted). But getting the actual report out of her was a challenge. We knew based on the CogAT/ NNAT that we would probably need to appeal, and actually scheduled the WISC before the denial. Still, despite multiple follow ups, we did not get the final 4-5 page score report back until the day AAP appeals were due. I had to drive to her office, where there must have been 40 score reports lines up, grab DD's then run it over to the school. So she must have pulled on hell of an all nighter.

- waiting days for s dr to get papers in order is not a sign that it was better performed or s better interpretation of results.

I posted the above about getting our report without waiting days like I read this was not with dr d. Our report and meeting was comprehensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, cancer testing would be covered by insurance. This kind of testing is all out of pocket.

So, you won't be out of pocket to determine if your child has ADHD?
And if you did pay out of pocket and it was determined that your child has ADHD, then does that "justify" the cost?

Child was doing well academically and socially. We, as parents, looked at the list of ADHD characteristics and did not think DD came close to meeting the criteria. DC's teachers did not believe that ADHD was a concern with DC. Dr. Dahlgren was the first and only person to raise the issue of ADHD during DC's AAP WISC, and was very dire about the consequences of ignoring it. She didn't refer DC out for testing-- she said she could do the testing herself. She charged us several thousand dollars to test a child with good grades, plenty of friends and no behavioral issues. Sure enough, no ADHD. Of course in retrospect, we should have just declined testing. But she made us feel like we were doing the equivalent of ignoring cancer if we did. No ADHD. Several years later, DC still has good grades and no behavioral issues. Then I heard that this had happened to other parents. I think she raises the issue so that she has something to keep her practice afloat outside of the AAP testing window.

You are right, if you are now second guessing your decision, then you should have declined the testing. Maybe declining would have given you better peace of mind.

Our insurance covers testing for ADHD, but since it's not psycho-educational testing, our provider said that they miss the diagnosis all the time, finding someone doesn't have ADHD when they actually do, especially for girls.

The point is that she seems to suggest ADHD in a high number of kids. Multiple posters have said that. You can keep arguing with the pp, but there are multiple posters making that point.

I am so grateful to the honest postings here since I did read the mix and did NOT even consider Sr D. I also didn;t think paying the same for a GMU student than a Psycologist was the same. We went with not a GMY student but a PHD (not Dr D) and were happy. I also don't get that part of Dr D taking A log time on reports. We got ours 15 MINUTES after we met with our PHD anad had already spent 20 minuytes reviewing the results.

I think the point is that Dr. Dahlgren doesn't just give you a score report. She gives a 4-5 page report that breaks down the WISC and explains each section, and gives behavioral observations (she said DD was casually but appropriately dressed but had unkempt hair, LOL-- at the time she wanted long hair and keeping it brushed was an issue, so it always looked stringy). I doubt much in the report matters to the committee except the actual scores (did they care that DD hated to have her hair bushed-- I doubt it. She was still admitted). But getting the actual report out of her was a challenge. We knew based on the CogAT/ NNAT that we would probably need to appeal, and actually scheduled the WISC before the denial. Still, despite multiple follow ups, we did not get the final 4-5 page score report back until the day AAP appeals were due. I had to drive to her office, where there must have been 40 score reports lines up, grab DD's then run it over to the school. So she must have pulled on hell of an all nighter.

Had she told you a date you'd be able to pick it up by and failed to deliver it by then or was it always scheduled to be ready close to the deadline? Getting the full report from her in a timely manner was no issue for me. It was ready and received right when she'd predicted it would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a related professional who has worked with Dr. Dahlgren for years (not directly, but I've referred a ton of clients to her). I have to say, none of this makes sense to me. My clients have all, without exception, been very pleased with their experience and that is why I continue to refer people to her. Jeff can vouch that I am a very frequent poster on here and not about Dr. Dahlgren- I really am legitimate. I just wonder if all of this is started by one or two competitors. It seems really weird to me that so. many. posters. seem to have great issue with a professional that my clients all have loved in real life. Just remember this is an anonymous board and take what you read with a grain of salt. It would be really awful if someone's name was dragged through the mud publicly for no reason.. you are dealing with people's livelihoods.

I'm one of the above posters and I'm not a competitor. I'm in a completely different industry. Of course, I can't vouch for anyone else.