Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment R

That's what I think, too. We have run into that, and opted out-- because if for no other reason, DD isn't likely to be cooperative if SHE catches a whiff of it, and she's much more likely to clue in than any other person I know, being Deanna Troi herself.

She had a teacher once who was primarily interested in her as a "thesis subject." Yeah, I get that you're interested, and I get that she's a novelty, but-- no.

Ditto

My general response would to go with your gut feeling, because as your dd's parent, you have the best overall insight into the situation and your dd's needs. OTOH, I suspect that rather than this being a psych simply interested in your dd as a lab rat / test case for a research study, there may be more of a motivation on the part of the psych related to your dd's overall well-being, with a look toward her past struggles.



This one thing in your post also makes me wonder, just a bit, if it might not be worth a look - possibly not redoing all the testing, but another look at functional behavior - depending on what "phenomenally accommodating" means in real life. If it refers to differentiating academics and nothing more, then no, I wouldn't bother with a re-eval at this point in time. If it means the teacher is making accommodations for sensory, behavioral, or social challenges, then yes, I'd consider another look. While this year's teacher is phenomenal in her willingness to accommodate, next year's teacher might not be, and you might find yourself back in another situation requiring advocacy on your part - and the second-look data might be very useful both for advocating and for having an outside perspective on how well your dd is coping with school, and what accommodations she needs to be successful in school. I hope that doesn't sound harsh - it's definitely not meant to be! I think it's wonderful that she's doing well this year, and know that it's because you worked really hard to find her a good academic and classroom fit. I just wouldn't be overly quick to brush off the suggestion for a follow-up eval due to your dd's past experiences.



We have a possibly unjustified fear that sending a neuropsych in to interview her would be both an imposition, and a negative influence on her perception of DD's behavior.


Have you talked to your ped or anyone local re whether or not they would have a gut feeling that this neuropsych might just be pushy in trying to bring in some more business/$ for himself? Or is he difficult to get into and well-respected? Those things would also weigh into my decision. FWIW, when our 2e ds had his neuropsych in 2nd grade, the neuropsych recommended we return for an update eval in 3 years. That time frame worked out well, because it meant we had a follow-up snapshot just before middle school, which helped with advocacy, and just prior to puberty, and we did see quite a few changes in ds' functioning as he went through puberty and matured developmentally.

The other thing I'd add - I wouldn't worry too much about having my kids go through additional testing, simply because our experience with neurospych testing has been that our kids thought it was fun and didn't mind spending the day with the neuropsych. If we asked them to sit an extra day of state testing... that's a different story! Not quite as much fun

So yes, I'd be skeptical, but also see some potential usefulness in it. And I would most likely be straightforward, if you don't have insurance coverage for this, and just say (if you are interested), "Yes, we'd really like to do a follow-up now (including whichever testing you feel is relevant) but unfortunately we don't have the funds at this point in time."

Best wishes,

polarbear

If he really cares about your DD, he will be happy to help when the time comes that you feel she needs it.

I also worry the testing could cause your DD unnecessary stress/anxiety & derail the good that you have right now.

Don't be pressured by his sales pitch!

Good luck...

I don't know it sounds a bit suspect to me. If your child is doing fine then there does not seem to be any reason to put her through the evaluation process. Honestly, we did an eval to decide whether a grade skip DD's teacher suggested was a good idea and I really wish we had not. I worry more about my DD education now then I ever did before and she is and was doing great and is happy, there is not a reason to. So, I don't necessarily feel like more knowledge is better if there are no problems. I think sometimes it just creates more worry!

I think Polarbear had some good points, I think a picture at at the end of a great year has some merit, and I like information myself, and my kids generally love iq tests... Which would make me inclined to do SOME level of testing. But not with someone I wasn't 100% comfortable with. I'm certainly not on board with the approach you describe of "Lets throw everything at her, because it might help and CAN'T hurt" it absolutely can cause harm...

Well, here's what we've learned re: testing-- medical or otherwise.

"We might find out something useful."

Yes....


OR...


You might "find out" something that you have to spend the next six to eighteen months altering your life around, while you wait to find out if it even means anything other than a weird day that is a fluke in some respect.

I'm pretty big on "what would this change" before I sign on for evaluation/investigative testing now.

We've lived through too much of it that gave us a LOT more questions and agonizing choices than clear answers and actionable information.

But that is us.

I agree with most other posters. I would not do this "full" evaluation at this time with your child. If all is working at the moment, then right now isn't the time to interrupt her life. Experience has taught me to say no to testing (medical or physiological) that we didn't need.

On the other hand do you think you might want to think about if you want to continue to have a relationship with this doctor. Will you perhaps be wanting his help in a few years? Maybe there might be a compromise, some level of "basic" baseline testing that doesn't seem so intrusive to you.

I didn't read this before I posted. Sounds like there is no reason to want to keep a relationship with this doctor. If his interventions made things worse, then I would just say no. And if you have future problems find someone else to help you.

To paraphrase the immortal words of Homer (Simpson):-

Dear Doc,

Welcome to Dumpsville, population YOU!