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    Joined: Aug 2011
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    Can someone please explain the benefits (and downside if any) of getting a neuropsych eval. I assume it would provide a clearer picture of dd's issues but whenever I try to get the name of one to use I end up hearing how hard it is to find a good one, we may not get any useful info if we don't use right one, etc. I hate to put my dd through any more testing if there is not a really good reason for it but also would hate to skip it if it will provide needed information. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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    Hi Pemberley,

    You'd go to the neuropsych if you want more detail about learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, or quirks that you suspect are impeding your child's progress in some fashion.

    If you already have testing results that you think describes your DD well, you have a good handle on her LD situation, and you think the education she is getting meets her needs, there's probably no need to pursue it at this point.

    The main downsides: it can be expensive (the local guy who doesn't take insurance charges $1800 for a full workup). (Ours, however, was covered by insurance.) It takes time (figure 6-7 hours of testing, plus parent and teacher questionnaires, plus a followup meeting to discuss the results). The waiting list to get into a neuropsych can be long. But if you feel you need more information, I don't think those are major downsides compared to the upside of knowing exactly how to proceed.

    My leaning is always to have accurate information about the problems I'm solving...

    DeeDee

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    Thanks DeeDee. My insurance might cover it and I would gladly spend the money if it resulted in useful, needed information. I'm just not getting a handle on what that information would be.

    My school district is certainly willing - even eager - to provide services but I'm not sure if we really have a handle on her situation. As I've posted before they have made clear that her test results were unusual and they have only seen 1 kid like her in 30+ years. Would the neuropsych uncover the why's of what is happening with her? Or is it enough that the district is working diligently and the exact why's are less important?

    Sorry I went to a training today and one "helpful" person accused me of "doing nothing" to help my daughter if I don't hire an advocate, an education evaluator and a neuropsych. I don't see a need to reject the school's plan and hire people just to appear to be doing something. The neuropsych, though, just keeps confusing me.

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    Ideally, yes, a good neuropsychological evaluation will help you pinpoint the "why" behind what you are seeing, so that you can target interventions appropriately.

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    Originally Posted by Pemberley
    I went to a training today and one "helpful" person accused me of "doing nothing" to help my daughter if I don't hire an advocate, an education evaluator and a neuropsych. I don't see a need to reject the school's plan and hire people just to appear to be doing something.

    Yes, going off half-cocked is a great way to make enemies. Not that I am at all opposed to hiring help-- we have a fairly large therapy team and an advocate. But you don't change the plan unless your best expert information tells you to, and you know exactly why you need to make the change.

    Originally Posted by Pemberley
    My insurance might cover it and I would gladly spend the money if it resulted in useful, needed information. I'm just not getting a handle on what that information would be.

    What do you know now? I know you have a dyslexia diagnosis for DD-- are you comfortable with the accuracy of that? Who made the diagnosis, and what kind of information did they provide about targeting treatment to her specific issues? I have no expertise in dyslexia, but my understanding is that it's an umbrella diagnosis for a number of different problems-- do you know what type she has, and what the preferred treatment plan is for that type? That's the sort of thing I'd expect from a neuropsych.

    You can certainly be forthright in talking to neuropsychs and say "right now we think we know XYZ because of ABC reasons. We need to know more about PDQ. Is that the sort of thing your testing will reveal? How many kids with this kind of disability profile have you seen? Will you be able to direct me to appropriate treatment after you complete the testing?"

    DeeDee

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    I think it would be useful, and honestly, even if they are very well-intentioned--I would want information and expertise beyond what the school district could offer.

    Dr. Beljan is very, very knowledgeable about giftedness and dyslexia (also ADHD/Executive Function). Even if you aren't anywhere near him I have corresponded with him and I am sure he would be do a phone consultation to share the benefits of a neuropsych eval, how to find the right dr., etc. He has at least one lecture on youtube where he addresses dyslexia/giftedness.

    Edited to add: re: hiring an advocate--while there may be a time...I wouldn't begin with it. Sometimes it can set off an adversarial relationship when the school would have been in fact willing to work with you without hiring an advocate. Pete Wright did suggest bringing a clergy member once though! Honestly before an advocate get the book From Emotions to Advocacy. If you do everything in that book I don't believe that it would come to the point of needing an advocate.
    http://www.paulbeljan.com/

    I think an eval. could provide useful information that could help you advocate appropriately for your child.

    Last edited by deacongirl; 11/16/11 08:42 AM.
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    Thanks for the replies. Dr. Beljan sounds perfect but I am on the other side of the country from him. (Frankly if there was a really good reason to use him I would travel there if needed but hopefully there is someone equally qualified in the northeast USA.) Contacting him for a referral or telephone consult sounds like a great idea.

    I can't really specify what we actually know and I guess that is the problem. The director of special ed for our town said she never believed dyslexia really existed before she met dd - now she's a believer. The director of special services for the town said it appears we are not dealing with typical dyslexia but instead something between rare and unique. The OG tutor we were going to use if we went with the private school, and who really went above and beyond in finding information for us, was disturbed by these statements and didn't seem to think there was a question about dyslexia or that there was indeed "a rare type." The school pysch who did the testing just couldn't get over the 40 point difference between her verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning - she was stunned and just kept repeating that this is seen in less than one half of one percent of the population.

    We have been told that dd�s uneven performance confirms the ld diagnosis but no one in a school situation has ever heard her read fluently and comfortably. She did it for us for a while and was totally comfortable reading above grade level during a relaxed summer reading program. (The instructor there totally dismissed the diagnosis when we told her about it.) During her eval with the school psychologist her anxiety totally kicked in during the reading portion and she could not read Kindergarten level texts without many, many errors. Some of her errors were reading the right word but putting it in the wrong place in a sentence, reading the name of the main character wrong and changing words without changing their meaning. (i.e. she read "little" as "small" and "went" as "walked".) When she finished the book with 20+ errors she closed it and recounted the story absolutely perfectly - in complete detail.

    They said she can cross the mid-line but has trouble integrating. Given a whole she can discriminate. Her math scores were above average (just below superior) but now her teacher is telling me that she is differentiating instruction for math as well because she is having difficulty with simple addition up to 30. (She skips or double counts items and for some reason the number "13" doesn't exist. It is very, very difficult for her to say the word so she somehow just skips it whenever she is counting.)

    We had been seeing steady improvement in the fine motor skills but recently seem to have experienced a setback and her OT wants her to go back to strengthening exercises. Recently in school her math work has involved copying shapes on a dotted pattern. Given her visual perception issues and her fine motor deficits I can't even begin to tell you how difficult it is for her. She is not complaining but yesterday came home saying her stomach "really hurt" and she had "a piercing headache." I asked if it started during math working with the dotted paper and she said no, it started during writing time.

    I guess all this indicates that we really should do a neuropsych eval huh?

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    Originally Posted by Pemberley
    I guess all this indicates that we really should do a neuropsych eval huh?

    In your shoes, I would, absolutely. School psychs are not allowed to diagnose anything-- their expertise is very limited and this is way out of range for them.

    When you find a neuropsych in your area (and that is where the doc recommended by PP may be able to help you; the docs know their colleagues and can tell you who would be good in your area), share with them the test results you already have, and let them know you need to understand your DD's LD better so you know you are doing the right things for her.

    DeeDee

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    Looking at Dr Beljan's website he appears to be very knowledgeable. There was a link to the herberger academy located on Arizona state
    university campus. I was wondering have you heard any info about the academy?

    thanks

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    We just finished with a full neuropsych eval and the information is invaluable. We are still waiting for the written report regarding ADHD but it is great to have someone to explain results, etc. and to provide information about accomodations, course of action, etc. who is really on your side. I know several people on this board have recommended Dr. Amend in Kentucky/Ohio which is closer to the NE. Good luck.

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