where to have kids tested

[Gwenny]

Those of you that have had your children tested for learning disabilities-where did you have that done? Has anyone had a child tested with a neuropsychologist? I can't figure out how to get it done. Did it cost a lot of money?

Thanks!

[LynnH]

My son was tested at 12 by a neuropsychologist and we just had it done again so that he can get accommodations on the ACT/SAT. Our pediatrician referred us to one in our town that turns out to be very homeschool friendly and is also nationally known so it has worked out very well. Our insurance covered the first one, and we are still waiting to see how much they cover on this second one. We have found it very beneficial. Not only did he do IQ, but also many subtests looking at everything from visual spatial skills, to memory to fine motor skills etc. It has helped me to understand why he might struggle with certain things and also has helped me tweak things and to know how far to push him.

[chillin'inandover]

My son and daughter were tested at a center by a team of specialists. The specialist were 2 speech therapists, a psychologist, a nurse practitioner, and OT. The insurance paid for each specialist evaluation minus a Co pay. This was before Obama care so I don't know what has changed. I will need to have them re-evaluated to have accomodations on ACT/SAT or college classes at around 14/15. They can be re-evaluated if we decide to go the medication route.
We had our children privately evaluated after the ps evaluation with a similar team of specialists. The ps evaluated my children after I expressed concern at a pediatrician visit. If they had been evaluated before three years old they would not have had the ps involvement. I would have preferred to not involve the ps, but we thought it was our only option.
Before we withdrew our children from their IEP, we joined HSLDA. HSLDA has been helpful with homeschooling struggling learners. If you don't involve the ps it is all private pay. At the time we were unable to financially afford the treatment. Later the type of insurance we had changed so that we were able to get the private evaluation with just a Co pay.
Our pediatrician made a referral to the specialty center.

[Gwenny]

Thank you!!

[lmercon]

Your local intermediate unit will provide those services, most likely free of charge.

[LynnH]

The tests that ps give are not near as comprehensive as what the neuropsychologist gave my ds and because he has lots of clients that homeschool he is very willing to work with us to get accommodations for the ACT/SAT which isn't an easy thing to obtain for a homeschooler. The ps will only do that if you enroll your child in ps. I know some insurances won't cover a neuropsych eval and so some families have not choice but to go through the ps, but if you can avoid going through them you will save yourself some headaches.

[Gwenny]

Imercon,
I don't know what a "local intermediate unit" is.

[Rice]

We had our DD tested last year with a Psychologist. We're in Canada so with our system being so different my experience probably won't benefit you at all, but thought I'd post here in case someone from Canada had a similar question and wants to PM to ask what we did.

FWIW, our 10yo DD was found to have no LDs, though mild delays (low end of average) in most areas and no reason given why she was finding it difficult to learn to read. (Yay! yet also ) This year has made a huge difference in her ability, confidence and enjoyment of reading. I don't know if it was just time she needed and/or how much effect the other things we did had, but she's well on her way now and will hopefully be close to grade level in another year ! (She was 3 grades behind.) (FYI, the other things we did were: piano lessons for the first time, new glasses prescription, tubes in her ears for ringing and using Dianne Craft's Brain Training for about 6 mos instead of HOD LA, which she's now doing as written now.)

I know it's a stressful time as you come to realize that testing may be needed, considering all the pros and cons and then trying to figure out how to go about it, how to discuss it with them and all the nuances that the labeling, testing, etc. can include. Blessings as you navigate the waters!

Blessings,

[Gwenny]

Those of you on here who remember me talking about my Liberian daughter (who will be 18 tomorrow) are probably thinking that it's about time I had her tested. I never have before because I never knew how to go about it, what good it would do, and also the little I looked into it, it cost a fortune. I just kept thinking that things would get better, we could do more to teach her. She has done some of the HOD guides and was doing pretty well with what I asked her to do. I didn't expect a whole lot, but she was definitely improving in reading and writing. She has never been even close to grade level, but improving. Math was always something that would help bring out what she didn't know.
She has been gone for about 9 months serving in a ministry, working in the kitchen. That was a FANTASTIC thing for her, she learned so much and gained confidence in herself and was loved on and discipled by some wonderful ladies. Well, now that she's back, I see things with fresh eyes.
I recently started one of my daughters at Mathnasium-a math tutoring place. I decided to take the 18 yo also. The head guy was very surprised (even though I told him about her). Basically, she has to start at the very beginning. She has no number concept, she can understand 3+5 and anything that small, but nothing else above that. She just counts everything out, no matter how big the number. She doesn't understand more, less, above, below, before, after. No patterns, sequencing, time, etc. Just so you know, we have worked on math a TON for the years she has been here. She is pretty good at faking things--like she did Teaching Textbooks Math 4 and got a B!!! How did that happen? I think because she would take FOREVER to do it (she was obviously counting everything out--she uses tally marks on a paper) and they give multiple choice and they also give you a second chance to answer. On some of it I found out that her other sister (the other Liberian daughter who is older) was "helping" her.
I've been trying to help her with several things lately and really working on helping her work through reading the email and asking what she needs to do, or what it says, and she really can't figure things out. She is so discouraged and I feel so sorry for her.
Anyway, all that to say I'm trying to find ways to help her and I hope there are services to help. I know that I don't know how to help her--it's beyond just "doing more school". She has to be able to function in life.

Thanks for listening!

[psreit]

Gwenny - I can so identify with you. My daughter's math skills were pretty much like that. Near the end of 3rd grade, I took her to an education specialist, who told me she didn't have number sense. She gave me a special program to use with her, which helped, and now she is understanding more, and has even learned to subtract with regrouping. At 12, she can finally find page numbers in the hymnbook at church, although sometimes we are through the first verse or so before she finds it. We are still working at sequencing. I did not continue with the program that was given, but she uses the technique when subtracting. I have purchased their multiplication book to start teaching her multiplication using this method. When I first started teaching her this method, I looked at it and wondered how anybody could learn math that way. But, my daughter, who has struggled so much, learned using it! If you are interested, PM me. My daughter is 12, but I know exactly how you feel about just wanting her to be able to function in real life. She loves taking care of babies and says she can't wait to become a mother. I keep reminding her that there is so much she needs to learn before she becomes a mother. So, I need to decide what areas are most important to teach her, so we aren't overshadowing those with things that will have little bearing on practical life.

About the intermediate unit. I'm from PA also, and in our counties, we have intermediate units. It is a government funded program that manages children with multi-disabilities, who typically cannot function in a normal classroom. I'm not sure what kind of testing they would do, but I also recommend a developmental neuropsychologist. They will do more thorough testing and you don't need to get the ps involved. I am waiting to get my daughter scheduled for testing, as it was recommended by a therapist when we visited the CP clinic recently. She wants a complete language evaluation done after the initial testing. My daughter has multiple issues going on and I am sure ps or the IU wouldn't touch the surface. If I have her tested by a neuropsychologist, I do not need to report that to the ps. If I reported it to the ps, or had her tested by the IU, I would probably have to go to the IU for homeschool evaluations, which I do NOT want to do. I'm sure in other states there are similar programs like our IU, but if you don't want the government involved in your homeschooling, it would be best to go to a private neuropsychologist. You could get recommendations from your pediatrician as to where to go, or do a search online in your general area. You can also check with your insurance company and see what they would cover before you make an appt.

[chillin'inandover]

Gweny,
I would caution you about using a tutor center before you get a professional evaluation. The tutor centers have been known to be pricey. They also attempt to fix a problem without knowing the cause. That would be like putting a band-aid on a sore without cleaning it or checking it out.
As Lynn and I said an evaluation by a psychologist or a neuropsychologist would be beneficial at this juncture. The good news is that the brain at 18 still has plenty of years of growth. New pathways of learning and even the brain itself. With the evaluation you will find out exactly what type of learning issues she has. There may be accomodations that she can have in school or work. As a fresh 18 year old she can be seen by a pediatrician or regular doctor, who can make the referral.
What a blessing she has being adopted from Liberia. It sounds like she had a wonderful opportunity in the cooking program. I assume both girls are sisters. What a bond they must have to help one another along in school.
I mentioned the tutor center being pricey since I have known many who have received services. Although they may be helpful with a bump in the learning road, they might not with the more complex issues. Perhaps once you find what those issues are then you can return to the center. For those I know the issues were food allergies, sensory processing, ADHD, and neurological issues. It is hard to expect traditional learning when these issues are competing for attention. We serve a mighty God, who IS.

[Gwenny]

Thanks for that caution! I have an appt with a neuropsychologist! I called my insurance and they found one near us that deals with all of the issues I told her about. I read the website and it sounds great. Another great and amazing thing--because we have met our deductible and out-of-pocket expenses--it will be free!
I don't know how she will feel about going to do testing. This should be interesting. It's not until the middle of August.

I will definitely update when I hear what happened at the test.

I appreciate everyone weighing in on this.

[Nealewill]

Gwenny - my oldest had some significant spatial reasoning issues (in both math and reading) that I discovered when we started school in K. She couldn't even count up to solve 2+4 at 5, almost 6 years old. She could count, she just didn't associate counting with values of numbers. For her, I did end up using RightStart math. The program was not necessarily designed to be used by people with learning disabilities but there are many reviews I have read that say that it has been of great benefit to kids with these types of disabilities. It might be worth googling info if you are interested.

All in all - I am very encouraged by this thread. My son has auditory processing disorder but in general, I have not done any testing with him. I basically have pray over him, taken him to speech, language and OT therapy and then for school done some trial and error. I do feel like God has lead to the right curriculums I need and the support I need to do help him grow. However, I have highly considered doing testing for him to see what is specifically going on. I am looking at spending a small fortune since our insurance is terrible. But I haven't done anything yet. I am encouraged thought to see the types of tests I should consider and will probably begin to think about putting him through the ringer when he is a bit older upon the consultation and advice from our pediatrician as well.

[Gwenny]

Nealewill,
What do you mean when you say that your son has auditory processing disorder? I looked it up a little bit and the stuff I read was pretty vague. I had my 8 yo son's hearing tested a couple of years ago because I thought he was having issues. He talks really loud and he says "what" a lot. His hearing was perfect. The main thing he does is repeats back to you what you said, but it isn't what you said--it is something completely different but SOUNDS the same. He will ask a question about what you said and the question makes no sense--so I'll ask him what i said and the question makes sense based on what he heard. Is this what you are talking about?

[Nealewill]

My son is a little bit different. By the age of 4, he only learned 15 words in the English language. He completely lacked language. He would point and scream all the time. He was very OCD about everything. He would completely freak out if something didn't follow a schedule or expectation that he had. For example, if he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and you cut it wrong, he wouldn't eat it and he would cry about it for a good 30-45 min. You had to cut his apples a certain way or he would literally react the same. I used to pray that I didn't die when he was younger because I feared for his life if I wasn't around. Noise used to scare the heck out of him. I personally think a of the things he did were in part compensation because of lack of language. Over the course of 3 years, Sam went to a speech therapist, a language therapist, and psychologist, and then he also had to have OT too because of some weakness and delays. He is to the point now that people would never know he has it because he can hide it really well. A lot of the hurdles that he had have gone away because of all of the therapy he has had and because I read to him all the time. One of the treatments for APD is the need to listen to spoken language much more than the average child. So I read to him and we listen to a lot of audio books and audio dramas. He still has a really hard time following directions. I need to limit multi step directions. He specifically has a hard time with things that are directional, such as the words under, on top of, behind, next to, those types of things. He is also a high sensory child. He needs a lot of physical touch and he can feel things that we don't. For example, when he was younger, he used to scream that there were bugs crawling all over him. Turns out he could actually feel the anxiety in his hands and on his body. He felt like it was "tingling." Seeing a psychologist isn't necessarily part of his "treatment" but it was more for his benefit. He had so many things going on but he had no language to tell us. We stopped all therapy for him close to his 8th birthday. He was in therapy for about full 3 years. It was expensive......$3,000 per year. But it was worth every penny! I have thought about having him tested once he gets older because I gave him a standardized test and he majorly failed any part with specific instructions. For example, he took the spelling portion and understood what to do. But for the grammar part, he kept checking for spelling. He majorly bombed that area obviously because he didn't understand what he was supposed to do. But math and science and even the history portion, those areas were totally fine and he did well.

Honestly, because APD isn't something that is fully understood, I have decided not to seek formal professional help in this area for my son. I am sure that I can probably get into a study and his treatment would be free. They are actually looking for people right now to study. But I do not want my son to be treated like a test subject. I feel like the Lord has blessed me and him to lead me in the direction my son needs each time we got a point that he needed something. Plus, God has provided the financial means to help us pay for the services that he needs as well. Are there going to be hurdles when my son gets older? Sure. I am positive that this challenge is far from over.

And believe me, I understand that it can be trying and challenging. When Sam was younger, I was actually very angry at God for what was happening. I am a fairly impatient mom who struggles with anger. When Sam was 4 or 5, I remember saying to my husband, "You are a smart person. I am a smart person. What was God thinking? Why didn't God make Sam like us?" I was gut wrenchingly distraught that God would have the audacity to give me a child that might not be brilliant (clearly an area of sin I struggled with here-the worship of education and striving for unrealistic goals......). Even as I type this now, it has been 4 years since that comment and a whole lot has change in me. I do have to laugh at myself. But back then, it felt very painful. But now I really must give God his glory. Once I finally came to God on my knees pleading for blessings on my sons rather than complaining, God finally started to change me. Don't get me wrong, my son is transformed as well but God needed to put my sight in proper order on the things that honored God in my son, not the things that brought me glory. As I look back at all the struggles my son had, God was right there. God really used these events to transform me and he has continuously guided my steps to help my son. Believe me, I am still far from having the character of Christ. Nor do I have all the answers for my son. But I couldn't be a more grateful mamma than I am right now and so thankful that God blessed me with giving me my sweet Sammy!