For those who did full Neuropsych eval, was it worth it?

[FairProspects]

I have finally found an incredible Neuropsych and a think tank that specializes in 2E kids. Our OT thinks this would be the best possible eval for ds, but of course they don't take insurance and the eval is expensive. If you had the full 3 day Neuropsych eval done on your dc, was it worth the several thousand you had to pay for the info? I'm confident in the qualifications of the doctors & experts here, but we'd have to save up for several months to make this possible. Would you recommend going this route or did you find you already knew/accommodated most of the issues by hs?

[mchel210]

I found a psychologist that took insurance. I had to drive an hour but it was worth all the trips! They told me the insurance didnt cover all the tests, but I called my insurance Autism team and they approved all the tests that the Psychologist wanted to run! I was so happy!!

 

To be honest with you...all the tests are grouped together on the Psychological report and I dont know which was specific to the neuro , psychological or psychoeducational. :confused:

[FairProspects]

IIRC, you are in a state that mandates insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders, no? Our state is one that does not have those protections and most insurances do not even cover OT, PT, or ST for autism diagnoses, let alone expensive evaluations. In our case, however, ds's Neurodevelopmental eval out negative for autism spectrum, and unfortunately I think we are on our own for a more extensive academic/learning differences eval.

[peacefully]

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[rafiki]

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[NittanyJen]

Yes, it was worth it in spades.

 

We found one for our son who knew his disorder. He had been tested several times by various people, but some would bunch together some of the subtests, nobody did all of the tests she ran or understood the importance of score xx on this one versus score yy on that one, and definitely nobody made such concrete and useful suggestions on what to do as a result (ie, this looks like he's fine; for this, start him on Earobics. I do not sell it-- buy it on Amazon... Etc).

 

His evaluate included hearing, auditory processing, screening for PT and OT, autism, ADHD, as well as fine-grained learning issues (she had a whole team working with her when evaluating my son). She could look at neuro processing speed vs. His handwriting issues vs. His previously undetected epilepsy, which she caught (even his neurologist had missed it on the first pass) when evaluating him.

 

As a result, we have recouped many hundreds of $$ of the evaluation cost by not wasting time and money on therapies he does not need (many XXY kiddos are misdiagnosed autistic) and he has made rapid gains by getting exactly what he needed. Yes, it was expensive, but it was worth it.

[SkateLeft]

It was worth it for us too, though ours was paid for through CA's early intervention program.

 

The diagnosis information wasn't news to me. We already had those diagnoses from other professionals. If I went into it for that alone, it wouldn't have been worth it.

 

However, the many subtest scores were very valuable. Seeing my son's strengths and weaknesses- knowing he could process this thing, but not this other thing- was great. The eval is something we've referred to many times, although it was done when he was quite young. It remains a good picture of how he thinks, and it's still included with intake paperwork whenever he participates in a new therapy, changes a therapy or starts a new program.

[PeterPan]

If your OT is saying that, she may suspect things she's not saying. I'll also say that the issues you *think* you have under control and accommodated now only get harder and more complex as they age. To me it's not an issue of whether but when, and there's not really a benefit to waiting a year or two. If I had known then the things that I know now, I would have gotten the evals at that age, absolutely. The money is real, but the frustration, the wear on you as you constantly research and shoot in the dark and try to find answers to problems, is real too.

 

And no, we haven't gotten the neuropsych eval yet. I'm still looking for one I feel confident in. If you've got a good one, I would definitely get it done. So I'm telling you what it feels like if you *don't* get the evals. Don't give yourself gray hair over this. Get the evals.

[RamonaQ]

Yes. Although we could have had a similar diagnosis at a lower price, we paid for the expertise and the 2 days of consults with those experts. As a result, we found EXCELLENT remediation that I know we would not have found otherwise. And, because we knew exactly which type of remediation, that turned out to be far less in the long run because the work we did was so directed.

 

The price still hurt, but in the end I KNOW we are much further along than had we not gone this route.

[FairProspects]

If your OT is saying that, she may suspect things she's not saying.

 

She just really wants the IQ results (as do we). We both want to know how much ds is being held back by his other issues because the OT suspects it is a significant gap.

 

I think I'm going to call tomorrow and ask what the wait time is and what specific assessments it includes. Dh works in mental health as well, so he will want certain tests done.

Edited September 22, 2011 by FairProspects

[Mommyof4ks]

We had testing done for my cancer survivor just to get a baseline in case we notice issues later on. He had a couple of issues the last time, but I already knew he was having those issues. For us the testing was worth it, but if you already know what is going on, then I don't know if it will be much benefit. Our ins. paid for it, because his doc referred him.

[dtsmamtj]

For us it was more than worth it. We went through a local college psych. department with the head of the department doing part of it and a masters student doing the other part. The department head then went over what the student did, finished out the evaluation paperwork and held a meeting for us. We had to pay out of pocket, but very reasonable compared to privately done. HTH

 

T

[Misty]

I think knowing exactly what you are dealing with is half the battle. My 2E daughter (10) had a slow processing speed that was identified by our neuropsych. That never would have crossed my mind as a possible issue. Other than that, it was not really worth our time, BUT she had already been evaluated by a psychologist who had identified her Asperger's and gifted IQ.

 

If your son has multiple issues going on, then it would be nice to know exactly what those issues are.

 

On the other hand, I have been able to figure out my other two daughters on my own from doing plenty of research on their issues. Neuropsych evals are free for us (we have good insurance) but I have not taken my other two girls because I am confident that I have them figured out. And they have all been evaluated by psychologists already so I have their IQ's and Asperger's diagnoses. That's all I need. Their learning issues I have figured out and accommodated all on my own. But then again, my girls have Asperger's and there are common issues that go along with Aspies.. So these weren't difficult to figure out.

 

I would go ahead and get on the waiting list.. Likely several months long.. By the time your turn comes, you will probably have one of two things.. You will either have the money saved to pay for the eval.. Or you will have him figured out by then.. Either way, you're set!:)

[TravelingChris]

Okay, here is how it went with us. We did it with our dd when she was 17 for getting accommodations in college. It took us almost 6 months for her to be seen. She was seen in early March and we got the report in late March. We already knew she was severely ADHD and had anxiety. What we didn't know was that she had executive function disorder and a problem I still don't know the name of- she sees things in parts instead of in a unified whole and apparently she thinks this way too. After a delay, she eventually comes up with a more unified picture. Here is what we got for her in college-- note takers, double time on exams. She just did her first math exam and she got a 92 so I am very pleased with what we got for the money. Now what they got wrong= her IQ. But this wasn't simply a case of them getting it wrong, another test she had done earlier in her life also got it wrong. I think IQ tests are not accurately assessing her intelligence because of that unnamed defect and also her ADHD. She is medicated but depending on the day, the medication are more or less effective. Anyway, it showed her having a slightly above normal IQ but barely so. Well that just isn't so since I know she isn't any less intelligent than her brother, mother or father who all had much higher IQ test results=much, much higher. It also isn't correct when you see what the practical results of her intelligence are- writing five or six page well written essays in half an hour, scoring at 99% in English and 98% in Reading on the ACT compared with other seniors, and more and more and more. It was in her report and she looked over her report but I don't think she saw that and I am glad.

[Laurie4b]

She just really wants the IQ results (as do we). We both want to know how much ds is being held back by his other issues because the OT suspects it is a significant gap.

 

I think I'm going to call tomorrow and ask what the wait time is and what specific assessments it includes. Dh works in mental health as well, so he will want certain tests done.

 

The neuropsych was worth it, but if all you want is an IQ test, you can likely get that done free through the local public school. To reduce expenses with the neuropsych, they can use those test results. An IQ test is not brain surgery. Interpretation and choosing additional tests based on initial testing is what gives a neuropsych eval its worth.

[ElizabethAnne]

Totally worth it! In our case, it was a one day (a very long day) with neuropsych testing at our hospital clinics. It was covered by insurance. For the first time, I feel like we have real diagnostic answers, and it's the neuropsychologist who gave those to us.