Type of eval before K?

[Anonymous]

Our D.C just turned 6 and will be starting K in the fall. We held back from K last year due to ASD and did another year of preschool. Any recommendations on type of evals/assessments to get before the IEP meeting? Would a neuropsychologist be appropriate? D.C. is smart, but has attention issues. We would like to know educational areas to focus on and even IQ if possible. I've heard Dr. Black is good...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our D.C just turned 6 and will be starting K in the fall. We held back from K last year due to ASD and did another year of preschool. Any recommendations on type of evals/assessments to get before the IEP meeting? Would a neuropsychologist be appropriate? D.C. is smart, but has attention issues. We would like to know educational areas to focus on and even IQ if possible. I've heard Dr. Black is good...?

Yes, get a neuropsych evaluation. And, yes, Dr David Black is great. I believe he's presently scheduling for Aug and Sept. It will then take many months for his report, so you won't have it before needing an IEP. But you can always revise the IEP once the report comes in.

Not quite sure why you held back due to ASD. But anyway.

[Anonymous]

My ASD kiddo started K at 6 as well: late birthday, a lot of ASD stuff to deal with and kiddo wasn't interested in school.

As for OP... yes, do the neuropsych. It is really late for this year's IEP though. I don't even know where you could even get on the schedule, get testing, get the report and get it submitted in time for your IEP meeting. I assume the meeting has to be this spring (march-june).

So... can you go back to your dev ped and ask for an updated treatment plan that includes their recommendations for school? We get this from our dev ped whom we see yearly.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ASD kiddo started K at 6 as well: late birthday, a lot of ASD stuff to deal with and kiddo wasn't interested in school.

As for OP... yes, do the neuropsych. It is really late for this year's IEP though. I don't even know where you could even get on the schedule, get testing, get the report and get it submitted in time for your IEP meeting. I assume the meeting has to be this spring (march-june).

So... can you go back to your dev ped and ask for an updated treatment plan that includes their recommendations for school? We get this from our dev ped whom we see yearly.

Good luck!

How can it be too late now to start with an IEP for fall if the kid is starting public school for the first time in the fall? If you don't have an IEP formulated by the summer you're out of luck?

[Anonymous]

I outlined why it's too late for this year's IEP above -- there's a six month waiting list to get the appointment then several months later to get the report. If you call today for a neuropsych exam you'll likely not have report til late December.

[Anonymous]

And what's the rationale for holding ASD kids back -- I have two of them, including one with a late summer birthday. They're both wicked smart with serious social challenges. Holding them back wouldn't make them fit in more socially and it would just make them bored academically. ASD is not a maturity issue, so it's not like holding them back fixes anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And what's the rationale for holding ASD kids back -- I have two of them, including one with a late summer birthday. They're both wicked smart with serious social challenges. Holding them back wouldn't make them fit in more socially and it would just make them bored academically. ASD is not a maturity issue, so it's not like holding them back fixes anything.

Maybe not all kids with asd are "wicked smart." Maybe, just maybe, some have some cognitive delays. I get so tired of the lack of empathy and total navel gazing on this board. Not every kid with special needs is just like yours. Get some imagination.

[Anonymous]

My son is the same age as yours and also has ASD. We also held back this year. A couple months ago we used Paula Elitov. I have posted about her previously. She was so awesome to work with. My son really liked her. My husband and I met with her, discussed everything and then set up a schedule to get the testing completed.

We only did the WIPSSI but I imagine we will need more in the future.

We were able to schedule our first appointment with her within a week. She then did all of the testing and we had our report a week later. I think the entire process took a month or maybe 5 weeks from start to finish and we had to space out the dates she did the testing.

She does not accept insurance but will give you everything you need to submit directly to your insurance.

I highly recommend her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is the same age as yours and also has ASD. We also held back this year. A couple months ago we used Paula Elitov. I have posted about her previously. She was so awesome to work with. My son really liked her. My husband and I met with her, discussed everything and then set up a schedule to get the testing completed.

We only did the WIPSSI but I imagine we will need more in the future.

We were able to schedule our first appointment with her within a week. She then did all of the testing and we had our report a week later. I think the entire process took a month or maybe 5 weeks from start to finish and we had to space out the dates she did the testing.

She does not accept insurance but will give you everything you need to submit directly to your insurance.

I highly recommend her.

And to the previous poster about why parents like us held our children back... we did so b/c our didn't learn to speak at all until age 4.. he is now very very verbal but giving him an extra year to work on language and social skills has helped tremendously. He has gained an amazing amount of confidence!

Each child is different.. some do well being held back, others do not.. no big deal.

[Anonymous]

Depending on which system you are in, contact your home school. We always appreciate the heads up, as this is the time of year staffing decisions are made. They might want to start the process and could do some testing as well.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Black also has other wonderful clinicians in his group. You can get in much sooner than 6 months. We just completed a neuropsych eval for our rising K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And what's the rationale for holding ASD kids back -- I have two of them, including one with a late summer birthday. They're both wicked smart with serious social challenges. Holding them back wouldn't make them fit in more socially and it would just make them bored academically. ASD is not a maturity issue, so it's not like holding them back fixes anything.

Maybe not all kids with asd are "wicked smart." Maybe, just maybe, some have some cognitive delays. I get so tired of the lack of empathy and total navel gazing on this board. Not every kid with special needs is just like yours. Get some imagination.

Fair enough. And another poster made a good point about holding back as well (due to significant delays in speaking).

But OP emphasized her child's intelligence in the first post. The reasons to hold back a smart child aren't immediately self-evident to me.

[Anonymous]

I would wait a year and see how child does. You already have an ASD diagnosis and I'm assuming services, so why not submit information for the IEP from those providers and see how your child does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I outlined why it's too late for this year's IEP above -- there's a six month waiting list to get the appointment then several months later to get the report. If you call today for a neuropsych exam you'll likely not have report til late December.

That isn't always the case. If you go private the waits can be shorter. If you're in the DMV area, Kennedy Krieger has a "last minute cancellation appointment" where they call you for a next day appointment. I know people who have gotten appointment within a month of getting on the waitlist because they were flexible about bringing in their kid. And the reports don't always take several months to receive in my experience. (I've had them within a month typically.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And what's the rationale for holding ASD kids back -- I have two of them, including one with a late summer birthday. They're both wicked smart with serious social challenges. Holding them back wouldn't make them fit in more socially and it would just make them bored academically. ASD is not a maturity issue, so it's not like holding them back fixes anything.

Maybe not all kids with asd are "wicked smart." Maybe, just maybe, some have some cognitive delays. I get so tired of the lack of empathy and total navel gazing on this board. Not every kid with special needs is just like yours. Get some imagination.

Fair enough. And another poster made a good point about holding back as well (due to significant delays in speaking).

But OP emphasized her child's intelligence in the first post. The reasons to hold back a smart child aren't immediately self-evident to me.

So F'in what, PP? Get a hobby other than being critical than others.