Hi, I'm new to this section of the board.
Any ideas on how to get and afford a neuropsych eval in the SF Bay Area?
Background:
DD10 had a terrible, terrible 3rd grade year. By the end we had a medical issue diagnosed that is under control now, and a 'specific disorder of written expression' from the district. (I hear the battery of tests they ran is a good, if general, set. I can list them if it matters.) Since everything was still awful, we moved to a private, free-form gifted school. Last year was better. They didn't demand any written output at all. They loved her, she was happy.
Now we are looking toward middle school and realizing she can't write. I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea I need a 2E evaluation. Polarbear, you are right and I should have done this first - it just took a while to sort out all the separate issues. Now that we have the medical problems and the gifted fit right, the second E is coming to the forefront. Her handwriting is fine, but her spelling is atrocious, composition takes forever and writing it down takes even longer. Her notes are all in the form of beautiful drawings. She has zero sense of time - no rhythm, and can't tell the difference between a few seconds and 20 minutes. She's ready for algebra but doesn't have fluency with math facts. Nothing she does runs on automatic: not tying her shoes, not putting on a seat belt when she sits in the car... She's happy to read but it feels slow to me, and she would much rather be read to. It sounds like stealth dyslexia/dysgraphia to me, as described by the Eides.
So, specific questions:
-How does one go about getting a neuropsych eval? I can't go through Kaiser, they don't cover educational evals. I can't go through the district, they have already done everything they will for us, especially since she can do multiple choice tests at grade level.
-Who should I go to for gifted + dyslexia in the Bay Area? Are they all equal? Do I need to know in advance which evaluations to ask for?
-Around how much will it cost? PM me if that is more comfortable to you.
-Is there really anything we can do for this, or is it just a matter of accepting she will never be able to do an in-class essay in her life, and finding an alternative high school and carefully selecting her college experience to accommodate her? Our district does not believe in 2E. Their idea of accommodating reduced output in high school is going to be for her to take the lowest level of every class they offer.
-Am I going at this the right way?
Thank you!
