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2E: Why Do Evaluators Keep Passing the Buck?


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So I had the parent consultation with the pediatric neurologist today about DS possibly being on the spectrum as well. She agreed after looking at the old speech therapy reports and hearing what I had to say that there are some definite red flags. But then she started saying that after she sees him at the next appointment that she will likely have to refer out to a pediatric neuropsychologist for a full evaluation. She said that with DS likely being 2E, it's really difficult for her to determine the proper diagnosis without a NP report.

 

That's almost exactly what the Aud.D. said about oldest DD during the first part of the CAPD evaluation. Yes, she shows signs of CAPD, but you need to take her to a neuropsych familiar with gifted kids to rule out ADHD or working memory issues.

 

Don't these providers understand what a complete pain-in-the-rear it is to try to get insurance approval for a neuropsych eval? And with the waiting list times, it might be into the new year, which means the deductible & out-of-pocket cost shares would start all over again (most likely higher than this year). :banghead:

 

Yes, I'm sure it would be a good idea to have both kids evaluated by a NP (and my little one when she is older & more verbal). But why is it necessary before the Aud.D. will diagnose CAPD or the pediatric neurologist PDD/Asperger's?

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On the flip side, I can't believe you're wanting those labels WITHOUT the neuropsych eval, so there you go. :D

 

Find your neuropsych, get on the list, and get it scheduled. Maybe you'll be able to find someone who can get the testing done and get it billed before the end of the year! :)

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On the flip side, I can't believe you're wanting those labels WITHOUT the neuropsych eval, so there you go. :D

 

I'm not against having a NP eval done (I'm sure it would be helpful), just the cost and the insurance red tape. To see the Aud.D. or the pediatric neurologist, all I needed to do was get the referral from the primary care pediatrician and the cost share was minimal. It is much, much, much more of a hassle to try to get the insurance to authorize a NP eval., and the cost-share will be significantly higher. :glare:

 

I'm not convinced that the additional information provided by the NP would be worth the hassle and expense involved. Especially since the report is only good for 3 years, meaning I'd have to go through the process again when my kids are in high school. :glare:

 

I only have so much time, patience, and money and I'd rather spend those on things that actually are therapeutic rather than merely diagnostic.

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I don't know, for us it was worth a lot. Get the right neuropsych and it will be invaluable. Mine spent tons of time with me going through every single subject, giving me projections on things for the future, discussing how it applied to other areas of life, tossing out strengths we hadn't noticed, etc. etc.

 

I always figured kids were given to keep us in a perpetual state of poverty and humility. :D

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Are they practicing again? Last I had heard of them was they had taken a break to take care of an ill child.

 

Yup, up and practicing again and I felt our eval. was worth every penny. I'm not sure I'd feel that way for just any neuropsych, but I definitely do about our experience. I've had 3 other professionals (including an MD today) tell me they have never in their careers seen anything like the report and ask for numbers to set up evals. for their own children.

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So I had the parent consultation with the pediatric neurologist today about DS possibly being on the spectrum as well. She agreed after looking at the old speech therapy reports and hearing what I had to say that there are some definite red flags. But then she started saying that after she sees him at the next appointment that she will likely have to refer out to a pediatric neuropsychologist for a full evaluation. She said that with DS likely being 2E, it's really difficult for her to determine the proper diagnosis without a NP report.

 

On the flip side, I can't believe you're wanting those labels WITHOUT the neuropsych eval, so there you go. :D

 

:grouphug: I have been doing a lot of thinking on this lately, about options and how to go about dealing with my boys and our situation. While reading Misdiagnosis (still have half the book to go, since I am always juggling more books than I should) I have come to realize even more so, how invaluable a neuropsych evaluation can be, especially with one that specializes in gifted children.

 

I agree with Elizabeth's point here, and see where she is coming from. Ultimately, yes, just a label from someone that is not an expert, will most likely be useless to you. In our case, it would give us funding here in BC, Canada, to the amount of $22,000/ year for my little guy and $6,000/ year for my oldest, plus services from the school (for my oldest). At the end of the day though, if I just get the label, without the breakdown that Elizabeth got, it would definitely be useless to me. Also, with gifted children, you can get the label from the wrong source and this may affect the rest of their life, when the symptoms may really be just from their giftendess.

 

I have decided to save the money and get my boys evaluated privately. Anyway, what I am getting at is, I know it is difficult to have to wait to have something done :grouphug:. Ultimately though, for your kids' sake and in order to get the proper evaluation, it is probably best to wait. In this case, I can see your doctor's hesitation. I wish I had a doctor that cared for my kids welfare :(!

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In our case, it would give us funding here in BC, Canada, to the amount of $22,000/ year for my little guy and $6,000/ year for my oldest, plus services from the school (for my oldest). At the end of the day though, if I just get the label, without the breakdown that Elizabeth got, it would definitely be useless to me. Also, with gifted children, you can get the label from the wrong source and this may affect the rest of their life, when the symptoms may really be just from their giftendess.

 

In our case, DS wouldn't get services unless a M.D. gave a medical diagnosis, so I'd have to take the NP report back to the pediatric neurologist in most cases.

 

The Eides are M.D.'s, however, so a NP eval done by them would eliminate the need for confirmation by our neurologist. I also trust their diagnostic ability with 2E kids much more than just some random NP since they literally wrote the book on it.

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In our case, DS wouldn't get services unless a M.D. gave a medical diagnosis, so I'd have to take the NP report back to the pediatric neurologist in most cases.

 

The Eides are M.D.'s, however, so a NP eval done by them would eliminate the need for confirmation by our neurologist. I also trust their diagnostic ability with 2E kids much more than just some random NP since they literally wrote the book on it.

 

I have not looked into what I would need to do in order for us to get services, if we were to get a private evaluation. The decision whether to go that route would depend on the results of the evaluation. We may decide to just keep the evaluation private, depending on whether we can deal with things at home or not.

 

My oldest is showing as exceeding expectations in all areas in his school (based on my reporting of course). This would most certainly not qualify us for services through our school. Whatever we are dealing with is mostly behavioral and social skills related, with him, and is not affecting academics. At least so far. With my little guy, I am finding there is a lot I can do to handle certain issues with him. I have seen lots of improvement in him since I have been targeting certain areas and I just don't know if I want the label for him, unless I am sure he really needs outside services.

 

If the Eides could bypass that extra step and you can get the evaluation done through them (by that I mean financially etc.), I am definitely rooting for that, for you :).

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Just to add that there is also a gifted program through our online school. Even if we do get the gifted label, I am not really interested in publicizing that label either, with our school or anywhere else. I have lived the pressures of what that entails and do not wish my kids to feel like they need to perform or are expected to produce some given outcome that someone else has chosen for them. I guess in my case, I am really looking to figure out what I am dealing with exactly. Both boys are very high functioning, so if I know the particulars, I am hoping I can target certain areas on my own. That's what I have been trying to do this past year, while educating myself on LD's.

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...I only have so much time, patience, and money and I'd rather spend those on things that actually are therapeutic rather than merely diagnostic.
Of course, the more you do of these therapeutical activities, the harder it makes it for run-of-the-mill evaluators to diagnose your dc.

 

Crimson Wife--the problem with these evaluators isn't just that your ds is twice exceptional. The problem is also that he has an exceptional mother who has provided him with an exceptional education that targets the specific problem areas as his teacher discovers them. The evaluators have to deal with something like four times (or more!) exceptional on a multi-generational scale. :D

 

Most parents do not have the talent to teach and remediate their children like homeschooling moms with an interest in classical education who have continued with homeschooling despite their dc having learning challenges. Even within that narrow group of homeschoolers, some do it better than others.

 

If you really want to pursue these evaluations, you need to find exceptionally talented evaluators.

Edited by merry gardens
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If you want to fly to Seattle, I'm pretty sure the Eides can get you in before the end of the year.

 

I would also suggest looking at getting the testing done with the Eides. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they were booking appointments out several months.

 

I have to say that it might be a good thing that your children's evaluators even realize that 2E issues muddy the waters and that they are not qualified to diagnose a 2E child. We had the opposite, that is, every single person who evaluated my son had no clue about 2E issues, so he was misdiagnosed on several occasions. I personally believe that there are very few people who get 2E and it is *really* important to find someone who does if you want an accurate assessment.

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I would also suggest looking at getting the testing done with the Eides. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they were booking appointments out several months.

 

I have to say that it might be a good thing that your children's evaluators even realize that 2E issues muddy the waters and that they are not qualified to diagnose a 2E child. We had the opposite, that is, every single person who evaluated my son had no clue about 2E issues, so he was misdiagnosed on several occasions. I personally believe that there are very few people who get 2E and it is *really* important to find someone who does if you want an accurate assessment.

 

I'm confused now. How does one diagnose 2E? Ds has been tested 3.5 years apart by two different NPs. With each, DS took a WISC-IV which clearly demonstrated sub-tests in the very superior range. What other testing does one require?

 

Now I will say, both testers bugged my son's teachers as they thought he was ADD. One teacher stopped pressing for drugs after I told her that it simply wasn't happening because it wasn't recommended.

Edited by Heathermomster
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I'm confused now. How does one diagnose 2E? Ds has been tested 3.5 years apart by two different NPs. With each, DS took a WISC-IV which clearly demonstrated sub-tests in the very superior range. What other testing does one require?

 

 

Sometimes 2E kids don't have scores in the very superior range. My son's first FSIQ was 99 and his achievement scores were pretty much in line with that 99. The evaluator "diagnosed" him as average but "slow." The second evaluator missed the giftedness as well, despite a GAI (which he did not report BTW, in spite of a 41 point difference between his PRI and PSI scores) of 128, a few subtests in the very superior range, and a math PR on the WJ-III of >99.9. He also misdiagnosed my son with Asperger's and totally missed his real diagnosis of dyslexia. More money and time wasted as well as angst over an autism diagnosis. Finally, a few years later, my son's GAI approached the highly gifted range, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, and the Asperger's was "undiagnosed."

 

So my son's story is the reason I always caution parents to find an evaluator who gets 2E. The second one we went to claimed to, but obviously didn't.

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I paid 1200 OOP for NP exam and it was worthless.

 

This is why it is so important to find a good evaluator. I can pretty much guarantee that an evaluation with them will be anything but worthless. They're expensive, but since they're MDs, I think the insurance issues with them might be a bit different.

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This is why it is so important to find a good evaluator. I can pretty much guarantee that an evaluation with them will be anything but worthless. They're expensive, but since they're MDs, I think the insurance issues with them might be a bit different.

 

:iagree:Although we had zero insurance coverage (b/c it was for learning and attention issues rather than a brain trauma, but not all insurances are that limited) it was the best money we ever spent. It will change ds's entire educational trajectory and will affect every single test he will ever take, likely all the way through college. I'm not sure how you can put a price on that.

 

BTW Crimson Wife, the Eides are booking now for late fall/early winter, so I wouldn't delay if that is the direction you decide to go.

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Sometimes 2E kids don't have scores in the very superior range. My son's first FSIQ was 99 and his achievement scores were pretty much in line with that 99.

 

 

So my son's story is the reason I always caution parents to find an evaluator who gets 2E. The second one we went to claimed to, but obviously didn't.

 

This was our experience with both of our younger children. Thankfully, we had evaluators each time who were able to see beyond composite scores. They looked not only at the pattern of highly significant discrepancies between highs & lows but they also carefully watched and commented (in their report & in the face-to-face follow-up) on how the child/teen approached each task and the pattern of performance across the duration of the testing session, which gave them a gut level sense that the scores didn't tell the whole story.

 

Of course, the more you do of these therapeutical activities, the harder it makes it for run-of-the-mill evaluators to diagnose your dc.

 

Crimson Wife--the problem with these evaluators isn't just that your ds is twice exceptional. The problem is also that he has an exceptional mother who has provided him with an exceptional education that targets the specific problem areas as his teacher discovers them. The evaluators have to deal with something like four times (or more!) exceptional on a multi-generational scale. :D

 

Most parents do not have the talent to teach and remediate their children like homeschooling moms with an interest in classical education who have continued with homeschooling despite their dc having learning challenges. Even within that narrow group of homeschoolers, some do it better than others.

 

If you really want to pursue these evaluations, you need to find exceptionally talented evaluators.

 

:iagree:

 

In fact, I totally agree! If I had it to do over again, I would have had a complete evaluation done in early elementary- by the end of 2nd grade- because the waters would have been less muddied by our multi-sensory approach to teaching oral & written language. In 2nd grade, the gap between my son's performance in written language & grade level was at its widest. By late 4th grade, the gap was closing for reading, and by 6th grade certain aspects of writing (sentence level) were pretty reasonable. However, there was still a highly significant gap between his performance in written language (lower average to average) and the oral language scores (extremely high) that had been generated when he was discharged from speech therapy at age 4.5yo.

 

We did not do the full evaluation until ds was 15yo. By that time the waters were really muddy. For an evaluator who was meeting him for the first time, the puzzle was more complex. Thankfully, we've had several professionals in the last 2 years who have gotten to know us and recognize that the way ds has been taught is the reason why he performs at least in the lower average range for his most difficult areas (save spelling, which is still low). They also recognize that there are significant discrepancies between those lower average lows and some real major strengths.

 

Taking the time to find a quality evaluator and then getting the evaluation done truly changed the educational trajectory for both of my children who needed it. It gave me the information I needed to understand their learning profile and to find resources and create learning opportunities to target both strengths and weaknesses in a way that met their individual needs.

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I have been looking to find out what the costs would be to get an evaluation done privately and I am seeing $2,000+ This will take us a while to save up for two kids :glare:. I think I will start looking across the boarder, also. Anyone know of any good neuropsychs in Washington State, close to the Canadian boarder? I am just looking for quotes, for now. Feel free to PM me.

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I have been looking to find out what the costs would be to get an evaluation done privately and I am seeing $2,000+ This will take us a while to save up for two kids :glare:. I think I will start looking across the boarder, also. Anyone know of any good neuropsychs in Washington State, close to the Canadian boarder? I am just looking for quotes, for now. Feel free to PM me.

 

Well, this would also be the Eides, but due to their expertise and qualifications, they will be well over the figure you quoted. I doubt you will find a neuropsych eval. for less. The time involved is extensive.

 

ETA: Why are you looking for your younger? He is too young to be evaluated anyway. I'd work on getting the eval done for your older and wait several years for your youngest. That would help control your costs at least.

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Well, this would also be the Eides, but due to their expertise and qualifications, they will be well over the figure you quoted. I doubt you will find a neuropsych eval. for less. The time involved is extensive.

 

ETA: Why are you looking for your younger? He is too young to be evaluated anyway. I'd work on getting the eval done for your older and wait several years for your youngest. That would help control your costs at least.

 

I can't remember where I saw it (in the forums here or their site) but I think an evaluation done by the Eides would be over $3K. The $2K+ I quoted was not even a neuropsych. I have an np in mind, in my area, but his site does not have specifics on how much an evaluation would be.

 

It's true that academically I don't have an issue with either boy, so I guess I could wait for my little guy. It's just that I am suspecting Asperger's for both and would love to get that cleared up sooner rather than later.

 

I remember there was a thread a short while back where people were quoting what it cost for their np evaluations and many were below the $2K mark. The specific one that I checked out that looked like he had strong credentials was just an psych so I am guessing an evaluation from an np here may go well over the $3K. If I am to pay that for a local np, why not have one done by the Eides. Know what I mean? Most good Canadian doctors move down south for jobs anyway ;).

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I would also suggest looking at getting the testing done with the Eides. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they were booking appointments out several months.

 

I have to say that it might be a good thing that your children's evaluators even realize that 2E issues muddy the waters and that they are not qualified to diagnose a 2E child. We had the opposite, that is, every single person who evaluated my son had no clue about 2E issues, so he was misdiagnosed on several occasions. I personally believe that there are very few people who get 2E and it is *really* important to find someone who does if you want an accurate assessment.

 

I guess given our proximity to Silicon Valley that they probably see more 2E kids than would be usual for evaluators in most other areas of the country. All the mildly Aspie engineering types having bright-but-quirky kids. :tongue_smilie:

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I can't remember where I saw it (in the forums here or their site) but I think an evaluation done by the Eides would be over $3K. The $2K+ I quoted was not even a neuropsych. I have an np in mind, in my area, but his site does not have specifics on how much an evaluation would be.

 

It's true that academically I don't have an issue with either boy, so I guess I could wait for my little guy. It's just that I am suspecting Asperger's for both and would love to get that cleared up sooner rather than later.

 

I remember there was a thread a short while back where people were quoting what it cost for their np evaluations and many were below the $2K mark. The specific one that I checked out that looked like he had strong credentials was just an psych so I am guessing an evaluation from an np here may go well over the $3K. If I am to pay that for a local np, why not have one done by the Eides. Know what I mean? Most good Canadian doctors move down south for jobs anyway ;).

 

The Eides' website says $4k and that they are not network providers for any insurance. :(

 

I have to find out from the Eides whether they would be willing to do a file review if we have the NP testing done at the UC Davis MIND institute (recommended to me on the local gifted HS support group list and I believe they would take our insurance) and then an abbreviated battery in the areas where they think DS would benefit from additional testing with them. I'm hoping doing that would knock the price tag down to something within our budget.

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I remember there was a thread a short while back where people were quoting what it cost for their np evaluations and many were below the $2K mark.

 

Could be, but these prices also vary by cost of living & region, and I can guarantee you that nothing in our region will be that inexpensive. ;) Many of those quoted may have been out-of-pocket costs after insurance kicked in 50% too. I also noticed some of the responses were from evaluations done years ago, and healthcare costs have risen significantly since then.

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I guess given our proximity to Silicon Valley that they probably see more 2E kids than would be usual for evaluators in most other areas of the country. All the mildly Aspie engineering types having bright-but-quirky kids. :tongue_smilie:

 

We've got a huge number of 2E kids here as well (Seattle area), but we haven't had much luck with evaluators other than the Eides. It's possible that my son was a more difficult than usual case, though, as his test scores indicated that he was very average so the usual clues weren't there.

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The Eides' website says $4k and that they are not network providers for any insurance. :(

 

I have to find out from the Eides whether they would be willing to do a file review if we have the NP testing done at the UC Davis MIND institute (recommended to me on the local gifted HS support group list and I believe they would take our insurance) and then an abbreviated battery in the areas where they think DS would benefit from additional testing with them. I'm hoping doing that would knock the price tag down to something within our budget.

 

Ouch :rolleyes:! I guess they are off my list! I would not get anything back if we did the evaluation across the border. At least with the np I found, we stand a chance of getting some back if we get an Asperger's diagnosis. At least that's what I remember. I need to check his website again and give him a call when I have some money saved up. I will be looking around locally I guess. BC is a very expensive province! I wish we could move to Alberta! Anyway, I hope things at least work out for you. Your family is already in my prayers, along with several others on this forum.

 

Could be, but these prices also vary by cost of living & region, and I can guarantee you that nothing in our region will be that inexpensive. ;) Many of those quoted may have been out-of-pocket costs after insurance kicked in 50% too. I also noticed some of the responses were from evaluations done years ago, and healthcare costs have risen significantly since then.

 

I hear you :(! My husband said the same thing. With our current financial situation, we could not afford anything above $2K for several years to come. At this point, I don't know if it would be worth our while. I guess I will keep on keeping on, for now, with what I am doing and see where things are at in a couple of years.

 

We've got a huge number of 2E kids here as well (Seattle area), but we haven't had much luck with evaluators other than the Eides. It's possible that my son was a more difficult than usual case, though, as his test scores indicated that he was very average so the usual clues weren't there.

 

Another disappointment for me :(, but thank you both for opening my eyes to the fact that the grass is not greener across the boarder.

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Wow, I can't believe the cost of testing. I had my sons tested recently with a regular psychologist who did gifted testing and understood 2E because he had a child who was 2E. I suspected 2E for one child and could only pay for the basic WISC and WIAT. We sat down and discussed the testing well over an hour so I was able to pick his brain on many issues. I paid $600 each for all that and my supplemental insurance (Canadian) covered most of it. I didn't require a diagnosis for anything other than my information though. I looked at getting testing done for years, but the price was prohibitive until I found this one place. They even did the testing in my own home. So keep looking if you are finding high prices. The testing has totally changed how I am approaching education for my son.

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Wow, I can't believe the cost of testing. I had my sons tested recently with a regular psychologist who did gifted testing and understood 2E because he had a child who was 2E. I suspected 2E for one child and could only pay for the basic WISC and WIAT. We sat down and discussed the testing well over an hour so I was able to pick his brain on many issues. I paid $600 each for all that and my supplemental insurance (Canadian) covered most of it. I didn't require a diagnosis for anything other than my information though. I looked at getting testing done for years, but the price was prohibitive until I found this one place. They even did the testing in my own home. So keep looking if you are finding high prices. The testing has totally changed how I am approaching education for my son.

 

Would it be ok to PM you to find out what province you are in :)? If I can get the input I want from a good psych, I don't need an expensive np evaluation.

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Sure. I'm in Ontario.

 

Thank you for letting me know and thank you for your input before :). I miss Ontario :(! I never had a problem finding good doctors of any kind while we lived there. Too bad it was before I had my boys! It is now too far for us to travel there just for the evaluation :(. I think my best bet is to look across the BC boarder to Alberta at this point :tongue_smilie:.

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Just a couple thoughts. One, the Eides do a LOT more than a regular neuropsych when they do their evals. That $4K includes multiple evals by multiple professionals iirc. And their prices are probably also high of necessity because of the extreme demand with the popularity of their books and the expensive area where they live. If you come to Ohio, you can get an eval any day of the week from your pick of neuropsychs and only pay $1500, in and out the door. I called quite a few, and all of them were in that ballpark. Less expensive area of the country and less services than the Eides.

 

The Eides are gurus for dyslexia and 2E, but it's not like EVERYONE needs that. Only a small percentage of people are dealing with truly gifted kids.

 

You're probably going to figure out a lot about your younger as you get the info on the older. I wouldn't fiddle around with his eval now when money is tight. I'd put it into the older and see how far that gets you.

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You're probably going to figure out a lot about your younger as you get the info on the older. I wouldn't fiddle around with his eval now when money is tight. I'd put it into the older and see how far that gets you.

 

My oldest definitely isn't ASD as she is Miss Social Butterfly. She may have CAPD and/or ADD and/or working memory issues interfering with her auditory sequencing ability but none of those things would qualify her for services through our insurance and/or the Regional Center (and she doesn't really have a need for those services). If I could get coverage for CogMed training with a diagnosis, then it would definitely be worth pursuing, but unfortunately it isn't covered. :glare:

 

DS isn't dyslexic unless it's *very* stealth. If the Eides' main advantage is their knowledge about dyslexia in gifted kids, then I don't think it would be worth the $$$ and trip to see them. I need someone who can say HFA vs. Asperger's vs. PDD-NOS vs. NVLD vs. ADHD & SPD & dypraxia vs. ???? in a kid who is probably HG+ (we're still waiting on the results of the GDC extended norms study he did earlier this spring).

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So I had the parent consultation with the pediatric neurologist today about DS possibly being on the spectrum as well. She agreed after looking at the old speech therapy reports and hearing what I had to say that there are some definite red flags. But then she started saying that after she sees him at the next appointment that she will likely have to refer out to a pediatric neuropsychologist for a full evaluation. She said that with DS likely being 2E, it's really difficult for her to determine the proper diagnosis without a NP report.

 

I'm not sure of the best angle on your DD. However, your specialist M.D (pediatric neurologist), whose services ARE covered under your insurance, is saying he likely won't make a determination of whether or not your son has an ASD w/o further information that can only be gained by testing with a neuropsychologist. In this scenario, I think you might be able to get coverage by having this doctor write a letter of justification to the insurance company. If, after seeing your son himself, he feels this is a need before he can go further, have him write the letter AND you call your insurance company and go up the chain until you can get connected with a case manager-type person. Such a person can review what you have verbally been told by the doctor and tell you how to submit such a letter to get it reviewed for possible approval of coverage.

 

We were able to get coverage for our NP testing, but ultimately had to talk to people up the chain who could give personal attention to a review of our case.

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DS isn't dyslexic unless it's *very* stealth. If the Eides' main advantage is their knowledge about dyslexia in gifted kids, then I don't think it would be worth the $$$ and trip to see them. I need someone who can say HFA vs. Asperger's vs. PDD-NOS vs. NVLD vs. ADHD & SPD & dypraxia vs. ???? in a kid who is probably HG+ (we're still waiting on the results of the GDC extended norms study he did earlier this spring).

 

Well, first of all, I'd say Crimson Wife is one who is dealing with truly gifted kids, so she does need an expert in that area. Secondly, the Eides have the expertise to distinguish the nuances of all these other labels too. Their most recent interest is dyslexia, but remember that their first book was on all these conditions and the intersection of giftedness. It sounds like the eval might not be worth it for your older, but I might pursue TokyoMarie's suggestion and see if I could get higher approval to get your ds evaluated by them.

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I need someone who can say HFA vs. Asperger's vs. PDD-NOS vs. NVLD vs. ADHD & SPD & dypraxia vs. ???? in a kid who is probably HG+ (we're still waiting on the results of the GDC extended norms study he did earlier this spring).

 

And how will this change with the new DSM?

 

I will say we have had 3 neuropsychologist evaluations done by those recognized in the field and even they can't agree. :confused: $$$$ of dollars later and no one is really sure, it really says something about treating symptoms versus diagnosis to me. I wish I was closer to the Eides and could afford an eval.

Edited by melmichigan
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My oldest definitely isn't ASD as she is Miss Social Butterfly. She may have CAPD and/or ADD and/or working memory issues interfering with her auditory sequencing ability but none of those things would qualify her for services through our insurance and/or the Regional Center (and she doesn't really have a need for those services). If I could get coverage for CogMed training with a diagnosis, then it would definitely be worth pursuing, but unfortunately it isn't covered. :glare:

 

DS isn't dyslexic unless it's *very* stealth. If the Eides' main advantage is their knowledge about dyslexia in gifted kids, then I don't think it would be worth the $$$ and trip to see them. I need someone who can say HFA vs. Asperger's vs. PDD-NOS vs. NVLD vs. ADHD & SPD & dypraxia vs. ???? in a kid who is probably HG+ (we're still waiting on the results of the GDC extended norms study he did earlier this spring).

 

Well, first of all, I'd say Crimson Wife is one who is dealing with truly gifted kids, so she does need an expert in that area. Secondly, the Eides have the expertise to distinguish the nuances of all these other labels too. Their most recent interest is dyslexia, but remember that their first book was on all these conditions and the intersection of giftedness. It sounds like the eval might not be worth it for your older, but I might pursue TokyoMarie's suggestion and see if I could get higher approval to get your ds evaluated by them.

 

After reading and rereading Elizabeth's post, I believe she was posting as a reply to my comments. This is why she said this:

 

You're probably going to figure out a lot about your younger as you get the info on the older. I wouldn't fiddle around with his eval now when money is tight. I'd put it into the older and see how far that gets you.

 

This might explain the comments to both of you a bit more.

 

Crimson Wife, if my rambling has sidetracked your thread a bit, my apologies!

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Just a couple thoughts. One, the Eides do a LOT more than a regular neuropsych when they do their evals. That $4K includes multiple evals by multiple professionals iirc. And their prices are probably also high of necessity because of the extreme demand with the popularity of their books and the expensive area where they live. If you come to Ohio, you can get an eval any day of the week from your pick of neuropsychs and only pay $1500, in and out the door. I called quite a few, and all of them were in that ballpark. Less expensive area of the country and less services than the Eides.

 

The Eides are gurus for dyslexia and 2E, but it's not like EVERYONE needs that. Only a small percentage of people are dealing with truly gifted kids.

 

You're probably going to figure out a lot about your younger as you get the info on the older. I wouldn't fiddle around with his eval now when money is tight. I'd put it into the older and see how far that gets you.

 

Elizabeth, I believe your reply was meant for me. If so, thank you for taking the time to explain certain things. I agree, I don't really feel that we need the extensive evaluation the Eides provide. In regards to giftedness, I have a pretty good idea of what I am dealing with and this is why I think I need to figured out exactly what I want to get out of an evaluation, before seeking one out :).

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