Help me figure out this neuro-psych/psycho-edu testing, please!

[Anonymous]

I've posted here and there over the years about quirks of my 4th grader, and on and off gotten a response here or there if we've considered various special need issues (ADD, ADHD, processing, etc).

Talked with the pediatrician in the late fall, who said sounds like something might be going on, probably a good time for Psycho-ed testing. Recommended a few private providers, said Psycho-ed sounded like a better fit for what i was describing. I called around and had mostly settled on Weinfeld, but was still on the fence. Meanwhile, I've continued to read here any posts of interest and started thinking about Children's Neuropsych (which was not specifically on the recommended by the pediatrician list).

Then, the school - which had always said kid was right on grade level - has ramped up informing us of attention and processing issues. Although child remains on grade level, so there's nothing to school can offer us. But as school gets harder and more involved, the issues we were seeing here and there are becoming more prevalent. So it's clear we have to proceed with something.

I started thinking Children's might be a better bet for us - first, while we can cover some of the costs, it's going to hurt, and perhaps Children's would be more likely to have success with insurance. Second, while the private providers all seem good, there's something about the imprateur of Children's Hospital that just seems more serious and specific - forgive me for how this sounds typed out, but less like "this is the diagnosis we bought from an expensive private provider so our kid gets extra time on tests" (I KNOW it's not that!) and more this is what Children's Hospital is saying is necessary for our child. Again, please don't flame me for this - it's also more of thinking that someplace like Children's might be better for a FIRST experience, then, since the testing should be repeated, going someplace else makes sense in future years. What I'm saying is to ME, who knows hardly anything about this, the Hospital setting gives me a perception that it is more...I don't know - serious and concrete.

So we went through all the paperwork and have the appointment in a few months.

But now, of course, I'm second guessing myself. Our insurance company won't give us a specific answer on what they will cover. We can only submit the claim and wait and see (ARGH). At Children's, the testing is 6 hours one day, and if our insurance doesn't cover it we'll be on the hook for roughly $2500. At some of the private practices (which may or may not be partially or completely covered by insurance), the costs are slightly higher (roughly $500 more), but they offer 2 days of testing.

This is really hard when the issues seem diffuse and gray area and child remains on grade level, but struggling. Sorry for the length of this - but I've learned a lot from this board and would deeply appreciate any reactions.

[Anonymous]

Your insurance company should be specific about what they cover, maybe you need to provide more detail about what specific tests you're asking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your insurance company should be specific about what they cover, maybe you need to provide more detail about what specific tests you're asking about.

We have the specific codes and the insurance company will only say they evaluate on a case by case basis and will not provide any information in advance of treatment. Tried a couple of times with different people answering the phone and that's all we get.

[Anonymous]

You definitely have a better chance of getting the testing covered by Children's than one of the typical education related evaluators. But no guarantees.

In all likelihood the tests administered will be the same -- so the school won't care so much whether it's from Children's vs. elsewhere so long as the results and recommendations are thorough and seem credible. The reports tend to follow the same format (over the years we've used private consultants, public schools and Children's)

Children's is a teaching hospital so while the final report will be reviewed by an attending physician it is possible that your child will be tested by a resident. That again, may or may not matter to you, but if your student is in the 'grey' area sometimes a more seasoned evaluator can make a difference.

Bottom line -- either seems a good option. Remember that depending on your AGI, any testing you have to pay for out of pocket would potentially count as un-reimbursed medical expenses on your income tax return which might help the 'pain' of the upfront cost a little.

[Anonymous]

We just tested at Children's with Dr Sanz for the 2nd time. We had a wonderful experience. She is super thorough and very knowledgable. She also has a great personality. I highly recommend. Our insurance covered most of the testing.

[Anonymous]

Hello,
I recently had my 8 yrs old daughter tested on neuro-psych/psycho-edu testing.
I contacted 8 different companies including UMD and GMU. UMD charges according to your income level. GMU was around $1000.
Since the University charges much less than private ones, you will have to wait at least 3-6 months to get the appointment.

Private practitioners charges anywhere from $1500-$4500. Weinfeld is good educational advocate but they source out the testing.
we worked with a lady who used to be a part of Weinfeld.
Paula Elitov in Rockville is an excellent person who takes time with you and your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,
I recently had my 8 yrs old daughter tested on neuro-psych/psycho-edu testing.
I contacted 8 different companies including UMD and GMU. UMD charges according to your income level. GMU was around $1000.
Since the University charges much less than private ones, you will have to wait at least 3-6 months to get the appointment.

Private practitioners charges anywhere from $1500-$4500. Weinfeld is good educational advocate but they source out the testing.
we worked with a lady who used to be a part of Weinfeld.
Paula Elitov in Rockville is an excellent person who takes time with you and your child.
She is very affordable.

[Anonymous]

I would also suggest thinking about how your child might react to different testing situations. My DC has ADHD and severe anxiety. Our first round of testing happened in school, and went fine. The next round (three years later, on our dime) was very different indeed: DC had a bad reaction to the office environment, hated the tester, and ended up bailing on parts of the test (requiring retesting, again on our dime).

[Anonymous]

Our insurance covered the tests that related to ADHD and did not cover any tests relating to dyslexia or dysgraphia. Basically $500 out of the $3k.