Had our first Dyslexia Eval session. Bizarre. (long)

[CatholicMom]

First, I walk in the building (which is a house - ok, there are some offices in houses around here so that's not real weird). However, I walk in and the first thing I see is the waiting room (I guess). It's a room with chairs. It's not real well lit. I look around and there is *no one.* I'm looking for the desk where I can check in with the secretary and let them know we're here. There's no desk. No counter. No secretary. It's a room with chairs. The only rooms off of that room say "employees only" and the door is shut, or there's the bathroom. So my ds9 and I are standing there for a second before someone comes out of the Employees Only room and asks, "Can I help you?" I said I was here with my son to see the doctor (uh, there's a doctor here somewhere, right?). He says he'll be with us in 2 minutes. So we have a seat. I have a better look around and notice (without much effort) that the huge room-sized rug is FILTHY. I mean old dirt, new dirt... this thing hasn't been cleaned in months and months, if EVER. There is so much dirt/chunks on top of it I could sweep it into a dust pan with a BROOM. There are rugs that meet up to the doors where someone just hacked it off and left an ugly raw edge with strings hanging off of it. Mm k.

 

So he says "come on in and have a seat." So my ds 9 and I go in and have a seat on the couch in his little office. He's drinking a Subway drink (which is fine) and there are crumbs all over his chair, lol. Harf down a sub in the last 2 minutes, perhaps? There are papers sticking out of drawers, files stacked literally about 3 feet high on TOP of the file boxes. Dented in file boxes. You get the idea. Also doesn't seem real, um, clean.

 

He seemed nice enough and didn't seem like a dirt person himself (showered and all), but his office was super unprofessional, IMO. Not even a secretary? He started asking questions and talking about what we were going to do but I actually felt a little weird at this point because here I am in this building with some guy who I obviously don't know, in this "office" that is dirty and unkempt and I don't know if there is another soul in the whole place! But what am I gonna do at that point... So we go through the plan.

 

He asked about ds's birth and if there was any trauma, any bumps on the head, how he was with reaching milestones, what made me think dyslexia, etc. He said the plan was to give an IQ test to see what we are dealing with and if he has an average IQ then we know to expect average school work and written/verbal skills, etc. He said if there was a big discrepancy then we would go from there. So the plan was IQ test, then he said he would get a lot of written samples and then do an oral/written test? He didn't say which one.

 

He then implied that I would leave the room while he administered the IQ test to my son. I was thinking, no way in heck, mister. I still didn't know if there was another person in the whole place (never saw one the whole time!), and I was not comfortable going out while he shut the door and talked to my kid, thankyouverymuch. So I kinda of annoyingly insisted that I would stay in the room.

 

So he did part of an IQ test (I looked at the book and it was called WISC-2, if I remember right). Ds did the pattern blocks, did some "what pictures go together" type of exercises, some verbal analogy exercises, short-term memory type of stuff (repeating numbers back, forward and then in reverse). At the end, he said that ds did "off the charts good on the non-verbal portion." I think he meant the blocks? I know he took a long time with that. I don't know if my son did so hot whenever he tried to explain something with words. He didn't even know what an IQ test was (I didn't know they would do one and it's probably better that he doesn't realize right now anyway). So there were a few questions where he skipped it and said "It's hard to explain." LOL Doh! Oh well.

 

Anyway, so at the end he made a new appointment for us and I paid him my co-pay and we went on our merry way... Still without seeing another person at all.

 

If it weren't for the dirty & messy "office" and having NO secretary or anything, I wouldn't have thought he was that weird or unprofessional, per se. But that gave me a real bad impression. I think I will be cancelling the next appointment and looking for someone else. *sigh* I just think it sheds light on what kind of doctor you are if you are going to see patients in a place that dirty.

 

I'm kind of nervous about cancelling suddenly and telling them I'm switching docs out of the blue. I hope they don't ask me why. (And who "they" is that I am talking to on the phone, I don't know! His wife at home?? :confused1: ) I'm hoping the next doc will call and get the results of the first half of the IQ test so that the session wasn't totally for naught. But maybe we should just start over with someone new? I dunno. All I know is I'm not going back there.

 

:leaving:

[wapiti]

FWIW, our ed psych does not have a secretary in the office. She's the only one there when we come. She has an assistant who returns calls and works via email, but presumably from her home.

 

AFAIK, IME, parents are not typically in the room for an IQ test.

 

It sounds like he has already administered the WISC (probably the WISC-IV, which is the current version). Another WISC cannot be administered to your ds for one year.

 

I can't comment on the dirt without seeing it, but... ick. I would probably just stick with it for that one more appointment (the achievement testing).

 

I would be more concerned with the guy's failure to make any attempt to coax your ds to actually answer when he said it was hard to explain. There are rules that must be followed, but some psychs have ways of encouraging them to answer rather than to skip questions, while staying within the rules of the test - missing those questions impacts the scores.

[CatholicMom]

FWIW, our ed psych does not have a secretary in the office. She's the only one there when we come. She has an assistant who returns calls and works via email, but presumably from her home.

 

AFAIK, IME, parents are not typically in the room for an IQ test.

 

It sounds like he has already administered the WISC (probably the WISC-IV, which is the current version). Another WISC cannot be administered to your ds for one year.

 

I can't comment on the dirt without seeing it, but... ick. I would probably just stick with it for that one more appointment (the achievement testing).

 

I would be more concerned with the guy's failure to make any attempt to coax your ds to actually answer when he said it was hard to explain. There are rules that must be followed, but some psychs have ways of encouraging them to answer rather than to skip questions, while staying within the rules of the test - missing those questions impacts the scores.

 

He said it was about half of the WISC. It took about 45 minutes. I didn't know they couldn't do another one for a year! Do you think that applies since he didn't finish the test yet?

 

Also, I'm quite sure it was the number 2 on the test (WISC-2). Should I be concerned that he's using an older version of the test?

[EKS]

The dirtiness is odd, but the not having a secretary is not. It is a way to save (a lot) of money. I have dealt with numerous professionals around here who work out of their homes and don't have secretaries (in fact, if you're familiar with them, the Eides work out of their home and don't have a secretary).

 

As for the number two on the WISC, there is no WISC-2. The second edition was called the WISC-R, then there was the WISC-III, and the current version is the WISC-IV.

 

I would go back to have the rest of whatever WISC it was completed. Those scores are valuable pieces of information. It is true that you have to wait at least a year to retest, though there are other IQ tests out there that another psych could use.

[pdalley]

It's more unusual IME to find someone with a secretary these days unless it's more than a two person practice. Our cognitive therapist and her husband don't have one, the dyslexia evaluator oldest had didn't have one, etc. It's a cost saving measure.

 

FWIW, oldest's dyslexia evaluation took place in the evaluator's home. He went with her alone. Her house - like mine - was crammed to the gills with books. I waited in the living room and read some of her great books.

 

I would suggest you finish the WISC at the very least. You might be surprised. I have found that the people we deal with that aren't exactly neat are the best therapists/evaluators.

 

Also every WISC or type of testing like that have been done without me in the room. I think that's fairly standard.

[itsheresomewhere]

Some of the best specialists we have seen had desk clutter and a dirty office. Our neurologist comes to mind. Her office could use a good paint job. She has severe organization issues but is wonderful with kids and listens to parents. Don't judge on that alone.

[CatholicMom]

OK, messiness is one thing. I still think that's unprofessional. But I think you are underestimating the DIRT. I'm talking clumps of dirt all over the rug, plus ground in dirt. There wasn't a clean spot on that thing. I'm not talking a small rug you'd wipe your feet on when you come in the door. I'm talking the entire room-sized rug that was in the waiting room. It was almost the size of the entire room and completely filthy. Just to clarify. lol

 

Good to know that not having a secretary isn't that weird for a psychologist. I didn't know that. That helps his case, but the dirt is ridiculous, IMO. I've been to a lot of doctor's offices... family doctors, my OB, midwives, dentist, etc, and never seen an office even approximating this dirty and unkempt.

 

Dh is going to take my son to the next session to complete the WISC so he can see for himself and make his own judgement. We'll see what he thinks. I must have been wrong about the WISC-2. Hopefully it was actually the latest one. Maybe dh can sneak a peek. lol

[wapiti]

Maybe dh can sneak a peek. lol

 

 

He can just ask what the name of the test is - it's not a secret, lol. While he's at it, he can ask what the name of the achievement test will be.

 

That way you can read about the tests in advance of the post-test conference. The more you know about the test, the easier it is to ask questions during the post-test conference, as opposed to thinking of all the "good" questions after you leave (BTDT :)).

[Pen]

You can yourself talk to your son and tell him that it is important to try to answer (explain) everything using his words to the best he can rather than saying, "It's hard to explain." The same will likely come up in the achievement areas, where on most such tests, an unanswered question is considered the same as a wrong answer. For my son's last written test, I told him to ask ahead on parts whether spelling on that part counts, because he tends to avoid good descriptive words if he thinks his spelling is being judged (and it usually isn't being), thus making it seem like he has nothing to say about whatever the subject is. It could also help to know if parts are being timed or not. Because our homeschool favors mastery over speed, that can hurt on timed tests. You can think about what on IQ or achievement tests might be skewed for your son, and help to guide him to some degree so that the results will give a meaningful view of ability, not confusion about how to take a test.

 

If you can do so in a charming way, saying something about the dirt might be helpful to the guy and future clients both. Or maybe an anonymous note ;) . Lack of secretary is typical where I am too, even in multi-person groups these days.

[PeterPan]

nt

[Julie of KY]

I'd follow your instinct and find someone else. You are obviously uncomfortable. That said, it might be beneficial to finishi the IQ test with this person since it is invalid when repeated too soon.

[CatholicMom]

Thanks for the thoughts. Here's the update: My son's 2nd appointment was today so dh took him. He saw the dirt (I'm sure it's still there - lol) and it was about what he expected from what I said. So the IQ test is finished but he has to tally it up to give results. Dh is thinking might as well finish up with this doc since there's only one more session, I guess. It will total about 3 hours and our insurance covers 6 so I'm thinking if we are unsatisfied we will still have 3 more hours worth of testing that our insurance will pay for before we'd have to pay some or get a note from a doctor saying that he needs more testing.

 

Where did you get this dude's name? No confirmation from anyone that he's any good? Certainly wouldn't hurt to call some more places and find a more reputable doc. I'm with the others that no secretary would be the norm. The guy could even be adhd himself and just plain messy. The unsafe/unsanitary thing though is over the top. Our psych rented an office, so I'm sure the building provided cleaning. This guy at the very least isn't a good manager. Your insurance isn't going to want to pay for multiple evals, so get it sorted out before you go in again.

 

 

We just got a list of in-network providers in our area. There were like 4 on the list. I don't know anyone who could recommend someone so I looked up reviews online and couldn't find any for the names on my list. So I just picked one called it. doh :tongue_smilie:

 

As far as the eval, the doc said that without tallying up the results yet, he didn't see anything alarming. He said he expects it to be "average" at worst. So that's good. I don't think ds is a dummy at ALL but all the testing starts to make me worry "what if?" So that makes me feel better.

 

Ds took a written test today as well which was writing a story for 15 minutes. He only filled half a page. :scared: (Not surprising, though.) He has a hard time with writing and spelling. He told me there was a picture of a caveman, etc, and so he wrote a story about a man named "Rock" who was trying to hunt down a giant mammoth that stomps on the houses in the village. Rock (lol) eventually made a catapult (he didn't call it that but clearly that's what he was describing) and killed the giant beast. I asked him how he spelled Rock on the paper and he said "Rok. But I forgot it's rock." :svengo:I asked how he spelled mammoth and he said "mamith." LOL Hopefully the doc can read the story. But, alas, that's why we are there. Ds has a really hard time with writing and spelling (among other things).

 

 

Patience...

[merry gardens]

Ds took a written test today as well which was writing a story for 15 minutes. He only filled half a page. :scared: (Not surprising, though.) He has a hard time with writing and spelling. He told me there was a picture of a caveman, etc, and so he wrote a story about a man named "Rock" who was trying to hunt down a giant mammoth that stomps on the houses in the village. Rock (lol) eventually made a catapult (he didn't call it that but clearly that's what he was describing) and killed the giant beast. I asked him how he spelled Rock on the paper and he said "Rok. But I forgot it's rock." :svengo:I asked how he spelled mammoth and he said "mamith." LOL Hopefully the doc can read the story. But, alas, that's why we are there. Ds has a really hard time with writing and spelling (among other things).

 

 

Patience...

 

In fifteen minutes he come up with and write a half page story that had a plot and ending, with only a couple of spelling mistakes that were at least phonetic??? I don't know if my non-dyslexic kiddos could have done that well at age nine! Trying to get my older boys to write was like pulling teeth--and people consider them very bright!

 

The dirty room for the evaluation would have bothered me too. I don't know what the evaluator will turn up and perhaps your ds' writing was completely illegible. But from my perspective, this story sounds great! :001_smile:

[CatholicMom]

In fifteen minutes he come up with and write a half page story that had a plot and ending, with only a couple of spelling mistakes that were at least phonetic??? I don't know if my non-dyslexic kiddos could have done that well at age nine! Trying to get my older boys to write was like pulling teeth--and people consider them very bright!

 

The dirty room for the evaluation would have bothered me too. I don't know what the evaluator will turn up and perhaps your ds' writing was completely illegible. But from my perspective, this story sounds great! :001_smile:

 

Not to ditch your compliment! But I didn't see the story he wrote, so I have no idea how many errors there were. I asked him afterward to tell me his story. And I asked him how he spelled those two words. I'm guessing there were a LOT of spelling mistakes. Sometimes I literally can't read what he writes because the spelling is so crazy, though loosely phonetic. Sometimes he will get the general sounds but leave out vowels, like "drc" for "drink."

 

Glad to hear a half page might not be that bad, though! I'm just hoping it is all giving clues as to what we are dealing with. Hopefully not BTS (Bad Teacher Syndrome). LOL