Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Processing speed

Ok, thanks. That wouldn't look at processing speed issues but if the school just wants to do gifted testing it would probably be better than the Weschler non-verbal ability test.

I am looking at our insurance plan and this is what it says about neuropsychological testing. So if someone has autism, they are just supposed to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to get a diagnosis because "there is not evidence that the results will be effective in guiding treatment?" What the heck? And what about ADHD? They would rather a primary care physician whip out their prescription pad and write a prescription as soon as someone says they are not focused without doing a thorough evaluation (our plan DOES cover medications for ADHD but not TESTING for ADHD)?

Indications that are not covered

Not covered for the following conditions because there is not evidence that the results will be effective in guiding treatment:
Autism spectrum disorder/pervasive developmental disorder
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Developmental disability, developmental delay
When performed in association with vocational counseling or training
Learning disability
Mental retardation
Tourette's syndrome
Baseline testing prior to chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer

In addition, if you are sleuthing for developmental disabilities of any kind, some states or counties have entities ("county boards of disability services" and the like) that may cover the process of diagnosing, even if they do not cover the subsequent treatment. A children's hospital or the neuropsych's office should be able to advise.

DeeDee

I got a call back from the place that charges $1075. It specializes in diagnosing learning disabilities. For that price they do the WISC IV and the Woodcock Johnson Achievement tests. Anyone have any input about the Woodcock Johnson and whether that would be helpful for figuring out what DD's issue is?

Ok, thanks. I didn't talk to the actual person who would do the testing, just a intake person (or whatever the proper term would be). Here's the website if anyone has extra time on their hands and wants to take a look. The guy on the phone mentioned that they charge less than other places--usually that makes me suspicious. He did say that I can tell the psych what we need (for instance a GAI for gifted/talented) and they can modify the report for what we need).
http://www.ldaminnesota.org/

Good ideas--thanks. I figure at the least it will give us an idea of IQ (since we have no idea) but I would want a tester who knows what they are doing with a potentially gifted child. I didn't know the tester made such a big difference in terms of the result.