We would like some professional help and direction with our son's needs, age 3.5 and so I've been seriously considering a full evaluation. My husband and I go over this often and we are having trouble deciding. Truth be told, part of the decision has to do with cost. I contacted The Summit Center, as we live close and they specialize in GT issues. They require a consultation fee before testing. I completely get why a full consultation is important and the chance to sit down with an expert in the field is worth the money alone for me. But we ask ourselves these questions, "What if the test results do not seem helpful and we are out that money?" and "How do the results help us in everyday life?" Here are my list of pros/cons:
Pros:
Possible relief and information for advocacy
Possible early K entry if results show 99th %ile in academic achiev.
Loose future planning/anticipation homeschooling options (this causes me a great deal of anxiety because I planned to return to work "once the kids are in school" and now I realize I may need to homeschool, so future family income planning is important)
Cons:
Having DS go through testing (I think there is a good chance he'll love it)
Chance of the testing being a disaster (like a meltdown)
Cost
Results being incomplete
Results that don't align with what we see, making us question everything (I mean, let's be real here, that's a real fear LOL)
The Cons are a longer list, but the pros outweigh the cons for me if any of that were possible. But he is only three, so is it too early for this kind of hope for test results?
I appreciate any opinions! Thank You!
