Neuro psych eval

[Jnma]

I found a doctor, by referral, to do a neuro psych. One of his specialties is dyslexia! Not only does he come highly recommended, but he accepts our insurance. Woo-hoo. We are headed there tomorrow to have our first interview before testing (next month). Besides talking through my concerns, I am wondering what may be important to ask. He does approximately 5 hrs of testing.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Thanks
Jennie

[OneStepAtATime]

Have to run but you might try doing a search.  There was a thread or two here on the LC board regarding this sometime in the past 4 months that had quite a bit of info, IIRC....

 

and that's awesome, Jennie!  So excited for you.

[displace]

Wow!  Insurance and a dyslexia specialist.  I think you've hit the jackpot. 

 

Frequently they ask a lot of questions.  Make sure to have all concerns listed and history, as it's easy to forget a lot during a long initial interview.  Bring paper to write down specific names of tests they are thinking of doing, which may be helpful later if you want to see what they are.  Any other evals bring with you (ADD, vision/hearing, development or anything).  Some also have a lot of paperwork you can usually get ahead of time, so I'd call today and see if you can get it e-mailed or from their website to fill ahead of time. 

Most of the questions you have will come during the diagnosis or review session after testing. 

[OneStepAtATime]

here is one thread...

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/534621-neuropsych-eval-in-2-days-what-info-should-i-take/?hl=questions+for+neuropsych+evals&do=findComment&comment=6040911

 

and here is another...

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/534711-can-we-create-a-master-so-you-are-taking-your-child-in-for-testing-thread/?hl=questions+for+neuropsych+evals&do=findComment&comment=6045023

 

HTH...

[PeterPan]

Congrats on your upcoming evals!!  I don't know, these psychs vary from "sit on my couch and pour it out" to "I have a gig and just get out of the way while I do it."  

 

I suggest you make a list of your areas of concern, and make sure they get addressed.  If he gives you time (billed hours as part of the overall billing) to call with questions, that helps.  Main thing is start listing all your thoughts now.  When you get close, you'll be a basket case for a while and will forget stuff.  He's going to ask you the stuff he wants to know and he'll have you fill out tons of forms (TONS).  Focus more on what the application is of the things he tells you, like what you DO with what he's telling you.  

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Ask for a list of tests he's planning to perform and for confirmation that they are indeed covered by your insurance. Some insurance policies exclude anything considered educational in nature and you don't want a surprise bill after the fact for hundreds or even thousands.

[geodob]

Rather than being concerned with what to ask?

You might rather observe how he answers your questions?

Does he take the time to understand your question, and then reply in a way that you can understand?

 

Any 'specialist' can conduct the tests.

The real value, is if they can explain the test  results in a way that you can understand.

[OneStepAtATime]

Wow, absolutely spot on geodob!

[PeterPan]

Ironically you can have an abrupt psych who writes a great report and a Freudian couch chat psych who spews only numbers. But yes, in general it's a good sign if you can talk with them.

[Jnma]

Thank you! Such helpful responses. Our interview went very well. Both my husband and myself were comfortable and impressed by the doctor. My son was comfortable, too. It was a very relaxed environment.

 

The doc did say he's not "impressed"with Barton. He prefers Lindamood and O-G, based on research. I get it. He's published several papers on dyslexia diagnostic tools. He is informed. It feels like we hit the jackpot. I am starting to feel a bit sensitive though that we'll find out a bunch of good info for ds and that I suck :/

[OneStepAtATime]

So glad that the meeting went well!  That's terrific.

 

However, I would like to say that I find his attitude towards Barton rather inaccurate and frankly probably biased.  I have run into several professionals who have knocked Barton without ever actually using the system.  Why?  Well, part of the issue, I think, is a belief that only trained professionals can possibly make a significant difference in remediating a child with dyslexia.  That simply isn't true, but a lot of trained professionals are not going to want to admit that.  I know for a fact that Barton has helped a lot of kids.  Just read the posts on this board.  I have seen the changes with my own eyes with my own kids.  DD went from 7 years of instruction in brick and mortar, plus countless tutors, including a dyslexia "specialist" with all the bells and whistles attached to her name and making almost no progress at all to moving up multiple reading levels in a year and a half with Barton.

 

Is it the only system out there that can help?  NO.  Is it the best program across the board for remediation of dyslexia?  No.  There is no such thing.  What works for one kid may not work for the next, or may not work as well.  Read the responses on this board.  Every child is different.  Some do beautifully with Barton.  Others do not.  But it is the easiest and most scripted for a layman to implement at home with no prior training.  Susan Barton worked hard to design a system that even a parent that is dyslexic can implement.  

 

Barton is also a WHOLE lot cheaper than hiring a professional dyslexia tutor since remediation takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.  Remediation through a dyslexia specialist can cost thousands, sometimes tens of thousands or more.  Many people simply cannot afford that.  And there is no guarantee that a trained professional can do any better.  I hired one.  It was less than useless and we wasted hundreds of dollars.  Her certifications and her training did not help my children.  In fact, she demoralized them further.  

 

Barton is a solid remediation program.  Lindamood Bell can be a great program but I'm sorry, there IS no Lindamood Bell facility in every location across the world.  And the Lindamood Bell program is MUCH harder to implement by a layman with no training than Barton.  And going to a Lindamood Bell location costs thousands of dollars.  And the people doing the tutoring are sometimes just college grads with a few weeks training.  They may know only a smidgen more than the parent.

 

He may be "informed", but take his response to Barton with a grain of salt.  Hopefully, he can actually help you.  I'm not saying he can't.  In fact, hopefully he will be able to give you a really detailed and extremely useful assessment.  He sounds like a great find.

 

Just be aware that the professional bias that seems to exist against Barton does not appear to me to be borne out in what I have seen first hand with my kids and it is not borne out in the many, many, many experiences of other parents on this board and elsewhere.  

 

Best wishes....

[PeterPan]

Thank you! Such helpful responses. Our interview went very well. Both my husband and myself were comfortable and impressed by the doctor. My son was comfortable, too. It was a very relaxed environment.

 

The doc did say he's not "impressed"with Barton. He prefers Lindamood and O-G, based on research. I get it. He's published several papers on dyslexia diagnostic tools. He is informed. It feels like we hit the jackpot. I am starting to feel a bit sensitive though that we'll find out a bunch of good info for ds and that I suck :/

Lindamood isn't even OG.  It's phonemic awareness, working memory, visualization, etc.  There's also no reason to think Barton is any less effective, overall, than OG or Wilson, since it is based on them.  (Barton was trained as a ?? tutor, I forget.)  

 

What IS true is there are very real limitations and issues involved when you choose to do it yourself with Barton vs. going with a tutor.  A tutor with OG training can deliver totally custom lessons. I talked with a tutor locally who took a gifted non-reading 2nd grader up *5* grade levels in one year.  Frankly, that's really hard to accomplish with Barton.  You can, but the process of Barton is fully scripted and woven together, so you feel unconfident moving on, not knowing if you should or if you need to stay for certain steps.  

 

Barton is also designed for a slightly older student.  Barton does not have a pre-level.  We did LIPS, but I think it is best woven in with Barton 1.  

 

The tutoring itself, when you as a parent do it, is VERY intense.  The dc becomes tired and has to push through a lot.  Many parents do not want that kind of dynamic.  It's sort of like the pain in the butt VT was, but it's every day for the next 5 years.  Something like that.  

 

Compliance and consistency are serious issues.  

 

Basically, our psych too does NOT recommend people teach their own dyslexic kids. And he's willing to be really rude about it and say it in front of your husband.  I chose to disregard him on that one, but I really pondered his WHYs and let it rattle me a while.  I think it's important to be serious about the task and commit to it.  If you aren't going to commit, pay for someone who can.  It does alter the dynamic of your homeschooling, because the tutoring is pretty draining.  You do an hour of intense dyslexia tutoring with your child and then oh yeah turn right around and be cheerful smiling science lab lady!  Not.  I get up and tell him to go away and I sit and mull and muddle till my brain returns.  

 

Barton has been AMAZING for us.  It's not a problem to start Barton while you're waiting for OG training and then modify or go your own direction if you prefer once you have the training.  You have options.

 

It's also really easy for a psych who gets paid $250-350 an hour to tell us (making more like $20 an hour) that we're just slackers if we pay $250 for a level of Barton rather than paying $65 an hour (what it costs around here) 5 days a week for several years for tutors.  That would be $10K++++  a year!!!!!!  Can you imagine?  I could get OG training, daily massage, take a cruise, etc., and teach my kid myself for that.  I think getting a tutor IS the right choice for a lot of people and scenarios.  It's just ignorant to imply no one is making it work.  Lots of people are making it work with Barton, even with the limitations of starting with a script vs. getting that complete big picture from the beginning.

 

I say make your choice about what's best for your family.  I'm teaching my ds because the OG tutor wouldn't know his speech therapy methodology.  I'm the one who has sat in on all the sessions and can weave together his ST and instruction.  I'm also not willing to put up with him deciding someone else is his teacher and disrespecting me or deciding only the tutor tells him what to do, something I'm pretty sure would happen.

[Jnma]

Thank you, OneStep and OhElizabeth, for your advice. It was what I needed to hear.

 

I live in a town with both O-G and Lindamood Bell centers and both are out of my price range. At this point, it is me or the school. I don't think the doc has any personal experience with Barton. He did say Barton may be fine and he wasn't telling me I can't use it. My hubby said I was slightly defensive. Oops. I am loving Barton thus far, but our progress is slow. We have tried many other things, so any progress is good. I am committed (made it through 10 mos. of weekly VT :closedeyes: ), but we fight so hard and seem to have many obstacles. I need to consider, through this process, not only my commitment, but whether I am capable to tackle dyslexia, ADHD, possibly dyscalculia, etc. Thankfully, my hubby is my biggest cheerleader.

 

Anyway...thanks again.

 

[Crimson Wife]

Check ganderpublishing's Amazon store because I was able to score both the LiPS and the Seeing Stars manuals inexpensively there. They are new but have shelf wear (crease in the cover, etc.) so they can't be included with the $400+ kits.

[imagine.more]

Thank you! Such helpful responses. Our interview went very well. Both my husband and myself were comfortable and impressed by the doctor. My son was comfortable, too. It was a very relaxed environment.

 

The doc did say he's not "impressed"with Barton. He prefers Lindamood and O-G, based on research. I get it. He's published several papers on dyslexia diagnostic tools. He is informed. It feels like we hit the jackpot. I am starting to feel a bit sensitive though that we'll find out a bunch of good info for ds and that I suck :/

 

I'm glad the neuropsych interview went really well, that's great!

 

I wouldn't stress too much about his personal opinion about Barton. And Barton is Orton-Gillingham, it's just one of many different 'flavors' so to speak, so he's kinda making a false dichotomy there saying that he prefers O-G to Barton. Barton is unique but so is every O-G program honestly, each one is very reflective of the particular experts who put it together. I was trained with Fran Bowman's O-G "Plus" in Maryland and hers is much faster than Barton but that's because most of the kids she's working with are gifted dyslexics from wealthy and motivated families. Her program moves too fast for my slow learning daughter and would have caused exasperation. But the elements are almost identical to Barton Reading and Spelling. So we use Barton and I utilize my personal training in O-G now to supplement when we get stuck or when I feel DD needs more/different review. Bowman had some amazing examples of games and just ways to make things more hands-on and fun. 

 

Barton is imo best for older dyslexics, it's no-frills so it doesn't feel too babyish once you're past Level 1. I suggest it for anyone who doesn't have access to or money for O-G training and I highly recommend it for anyone with overall slow learners.

 

Wilson is also good for older dyslexics and has more high-interest, low-level sentences. I'd do Wilson with a student who has average or above average intelligence but just never 'got' reading because of dyslexia. But ONLY with proper O-G training, the materials are good but not self-explanatory.

 

Bowman's is imo good for a wide range of ages but only for average-gifted students. Her tutors and materials are fantastic and really highlight the multi sensory aspect of O-G and get really creative with teaching concepts.

 

All About Reading & Spelling is perfect for younger dyslexic students and ones who a parent suspects might have dyslexia but they aren't sure. Like Bowman's I think it sometimes goes too fast for slower learners or severe dyslexics, but for mild to moderate dyslexics it's fantastic and not bad price-wise. 

 

Different people might have different impressions or preferences on the different O-G curriculums out there than mine (and there are more programs than these ones) but the important thing is to realize there are several of them and mostly all are good, solid programs because they're based on research for dyslexia. As long as you select one that works for you as the tutor and your child as the student I think all are fine choices. 

 

We haven't used Lindamood ourselves (too expensive) but I've heard wonderful things about it. You're lucky your neuropsych knows about these things! DD's neuropsych had never even heard of Orton-Gillingham, ugh!