Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Please reassure me I am not wasting my money

Hi again deacongirl,

I totally understand your frustration. Been there, for sure. You should let it all hang out here, because we understand.

If it helps with the waiting, remind yourself that you went to her for a comprehensive assessment. You've had the snapshots and quick answers, and they didn't help. Now - hopefully soon - you're getting the WHOLE picture that you need.

And I'll bet just about any amount that she knows, she knows, she knows. You are really tied up in knots waiting, needing answers, and she knows. I'll bet she's trying hard to get you those WHOLE answers as quickly as she can.

Nevertheless - grrrrrrrrr for the wait, right? We're here to help you count the minutes.

Sue
P.S. I saw what you said about the feeling teary at the parent conference. Me, too. And I couldn't hold it back, actually. Our neuropsych said that it's not unusual for parents in our shoes. We've been trying so hard, for so long, and are feeling so alone in our struggles. One more time - you are not alone. You have us.

When DD was evaluated she brought me into the room immediately after and showed me the scores. She even showed me certain parts of the test book so that i'd understand certain tests like "matrix reasoning". (she didn't show me enough for me to memorize questions or anything). I started copying some numbers and she told me she'd just make a photocopy. So I knew immediately what her FSIQ and GAI were. The report, of course, had more specific information. I got that in the mail a few days later. That would drive me nuts, having no feedback at all.


Took her in for more testing recently (to a neuropsych) and he brought me into his office and didn't have specific scores but said that he saw certain issues with her...such as information processing concerns...so again, I had some immediate feedback.

Do you get to go in and discuss the findings, or does she just send the report and you are done, or ???? For the amount of money you are spending, I would hope you would get to have a face to face conversation.

Hang in there.

Sue I think this is accurate and helpful. Thank you!

Yes, I agree, and yes, there is a feedback session. I am sure that the report and feedback will be very thorough...and the dr. did have another appt. immediately after dd, (I think it took the outside amount of time she had estimated...dd took frequent bathroom breaks). But the times older dd was tested they gave me a pretty good idea right away. Maybe dd8 is just complicated or maybe that is just her policy in general. But thanks to all for commiserating with me. Patience is a virtue, right?

Having been through this myself quite recently, it is very difficult to wait. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy a nice roller coaster ride of emotions within. I found it very difficult to sleep between the time he took the test and the in-person meeting (I think we had to wait about 5 days for the results to come back).

If it makes you feel any better, DS6 took quite a long time on his assessment. We thought it might have been because he was having difficulty, but it ended up being because he kept answering the questions correctly so they would keep going on the subtests. So a long test can be a very good thing.

Thanks George,
Yes, it is difficult to wait! I just made my dad listen to me vent. He wasn't very sympathetic--he was like you have waited 6 years to get this question answered. What is another 2 weeks? The psych did say that she would keep asking questions beyond the point at which they normally stop because sometimes a gifted kid will get 3 wrong and then get the next 10 right. So. I don't know! Trying to be patient is hard.

It is hard to wait! We didn't get scores right away, either. FWIW, though, it was worth the wait! At least, you'll have some direction and hopefully some answers to the questions you have. We understand - vent away!

We are still waiting. Three months later.

I feel your pain.

Mana why on earth is anyone making you wait three months? That is just outrageous.

Sorry I didn't elaborate.

We didn't go through a private tester. DD was assessed in January by two private schools. Application fees reflected the time it took their school psychologist to test all the applicants individually.

I think we may have to wait until June to find out her scores.

I didn't know we had to wait this long. This was not a good idea.