Has anyone used Dr David Black in IEP meetings and in Due Process Hearings?

[Anonymous]

We have heard through the heads of some of the SN schools that he writes wonderful reports. Any feedback on Dr. Black in these settings - in front of school systems and/or a hearing officer?

[Anonymous]

We had him come to our charter to explain the results of DS's neuropsych eval. Our charter acts as its own LEA. This was for our 3rd year IEP renewal meeting. Dr. Black was great.

Explained DS's diagnosis and results of the neuropsych eval in a very understandable manner. Not abrasive, pushy or off putting in any way, his manner was very personable, professional, and kind while very zealously advocating for DS. I can tell that he must make a very good expert witness in court. Cannot think of one bad thing to say about him...

Our school gave us all Dr. Black's recommendations in the IEP. I very much appreciated Dr. Black's emphasis that DS cognitively can function at the very highest level of abstract thinking/reasoning and that DS needed to be challenged academically.

Out of all DS's doctors (and he's had many), Dr. Black was the most helpful by a long margin. Best money we ever spent. Cannot recommend Dr. Black enough.

[Anonymous]

I had the opposite experience. Heard great things about him on this board. But of all the neuropsych evaluation time, my daughter got max a half hour with him. He sat in the parent meeting and didn't say much. Served as support I guess for Annie Inge his psychologist on staff. Never heard from them again despite follow up emails inquiring with confusion over what to do with the ten new labels they gave my child. Then my pediatrician read the report -- who has known my child forever and has great insight -- and said, why'd you go there. This report is useless, I never would have sent you there.

[Anonymous]

I agree PP - same experience with us. I'm truly astounded that people have good experiences with him. Our report was useless. It's as if he uses the same report over and over and forgets to change the data to reflect your child. Worthless report. Commented on how we need to get our help with DD's handwriting, keyboard accommodations, etc. Her handwriting is great. Even the IEP team said it sounded like it was the wrong child he was referencing. Steer clear. He's just focused on getting business and churning people through.

[Anonymous]

In my recent search for neuropsych providers he was the most expensive practitioner I found.

[Anonymous]

Np and thank you for this thread. We were just about to call for an appointment!

[Anonymous]

I'd heed some of the replies in this group with caution. I know many people who have had fantastic results with dr black. Every provider is going to have some people who don't like them. He can be soft spoke during iep meetings when there is confrontation but he's a psychologist not your attorney. He does a great job providing an explanation of his report, which is benefitial to a hearing officer.

[Anonymous]

NP here.

The heads of many of the top SN schools and top behavioral pedis, lawyers and advocates all believe he writes some of the best reports in the DMV, if not the best, so I would caution people against taking the comments of a couple of posters as the gospels. The experts we have heard laud Dr Black have years and years of experience reading these reports. He may not be the best advocate but that is not his core competency, as One other poster pointed out well.

[Anonymous]

We also have had a good experience with him. We have not used him in IEP meetings or hearings, but we got everything we wanted on the strength of his report. The report's recommendations were maybe a little boilerplate, but the analysis of the testing and description of my child's strengths and weaknesses was detailed, specific, and described my child perfectly. He has also been very accessible by phone and email since then.

He was the only psychologist in the family meeting and he did all the social cognition testing. An associate (still a psychologist, not a student) did the academic testing, which was fine with us.

[Anonymous]

We didn't use him as an advocate, but for full testing. Very disappointing. Boilerplate totally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree PP - same experience with us. I'm truly astounded that people have good experiences with him. Our report was useless. It's as if he uses the same report over and over and forgets to change the data to reflect your child. Worthless report. Commented on how we need to get our help with DD's handwriting, keyboard accommodations, etc. Her handwriting is great. Even the IEP team said it sounded like it was the wrong child he was referencing. Steer clear. He's just focused on getting business and churning people through.

Did you have a meeting discussing the results of the neuropsych eval and recommended accommodations and services prior to getting the report? We did. So getting the written report did not have any surprises.

[Anonymous]

I wish we could see each other's reports to see if we all got reports of such varying quality or if we have different definitions of "boiler-plate" or "thorough."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish we could see each other's reports to see if we all got reports of such varying quality or if we have different definitions of "boiler-plate" or "thorough."

20:49 again. Dr Black had a long meeting, 2 hrs+, with us discussing the results of the neuropsych eval and we got the report several weeks later. In our case, he sent a preliminary copy for our perusal and any editing needed bc we had to submit the report to the school for an IEP meeting and had a deadline.

Our report was not boilerplate at all but was spot on in describing DS's strengths and weaknesses as well as the sort of services and accommodations that will best help him succeed. Dr Black went over the entire report nearly line by line at our IEP meeting and our school gave us everything we asked for in the IEP.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if some of this discrepancy is based on when your testing was done. The office has grown recently hasn't it?

[Anonymous]

I'm one of the not happy people. My testing was done in July. And sure, if I had needed him at the appointment he would have come, at a charge, on top of the $4400 he charges for the report, which he now farms out to a junior staffer. And then he refers your child to his wife for counseling down the hall. The whole experience was awful.