Retesting--when?
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Anonymous
| DS had a psychoeducational eval 2.5 years ago, dx ADHD and LD NOS. He has a 504 plan, basic stuff like keyboarding, can stand at his desk, etc. 3rd grade was pretty good, 4th grade was great, 5th grade--well it is a step up in work level. I am concerned that his weaknesses are really coming out now, and that LD NOS might be more like dysgraphia or stealth dyslexia. When I reread the report from 2.5 years ago, a lot of the same stuff is still going on--easy spelling errors (whas for was, etc). The teacher says that she sees a real disconnect in what he knows (a lot) vs his work product (crappy). Is it worth it for me to redo the eval, possibly narrowing down the LD diagnosis, or should I just go forward knowing that nothing has really changed since 2.5 year ago, and just try to increase supports, like tutors? Dont' really want to spend the money if it is not necessary. |
Anonymous
| I think you need to retest. If you're going to be spending money on supports, you will probably be able to target more specifically what your kid needs. |
Anonymous
|
We retest and each time we have learned something new. For the first few, we added issues and with the last one, we were able to see enough progress in one area that it wasn't an issue that still needed to be addressed. If you are anticipating getting state testing accommodations, ACT or SAT accommodations, they will have to be updated. Colleges generally require the student to be at least 16 on their most recent evaluation.
Our schedule was: 2nd grade: school, 3rd grade: private after we figured out how narrow and incomplete the school's was, 5th grade: private to be in sync with the 3 year re-evaluation of IEP, we stretched to 9th grade to be in sync with SAT/ACT accommodations and HS, the next one will be after he turns 16, if we can we will wait until 12 grade - so that it is more recent for college. |
Anonymous
| OP here--I really liked our tester the first time. But I had picked her because she was familiar with the AAP program in FCPS. As that is no longer a factor, should I stick with her for consistency's sake, or would going to a tester with say more of a focus in language issues be more appropriate? I had mentioned the stealth dyslexia to her in an email and she didn't seem familiar, but i would guess that since it is not common that many testers may not be familiar. |
Anonymous
Well, if she's a psychologist and is familiar with dyslexia, she should be fine. If you're kid is dyslexic, he will test that way. "Stealth" dyslexia is a buzzword and isn't in the current DSM. Neither is dyslexia for that matter: http://www.interdys.org/dsm5update.htm |
Anonymous
| You should really go with someone who knows dyslexia. Not all psychologists have a good understanding, especially amongst the 2E learners. I would choose one of the psych's on asdec.org's website or go to lab school. If your psych missed it the first time, time to reconsider. |
Anonymous
| Maybe do a neuropsych eval this time. It's more comprehensive. |
Anonymous
| The rule of thumb is every three years. I'm glad we did it - we twice got wrong diagnoses. |
Anonymous
| We worked with Dr. Rachna Varia who specializes in dyslexia. I think she runs MindWell. She's on the ASDEC site. Susan Barton recommended her to us. She was great and GOT it. |
Anonymous
|
New poster - we had a neurophych eval for DD when she was in 5th grade. It came back with mild ADHD-I and with the recommendations of a 504. SHe's now in 7th grade but I wonder if it's getting worse or has executive functioning weakness. I'd like to test her again with someone else.
Our insurance covered most of the testing the first time. DO insurance companies usually cover it the second time? |