Finding affordable IQ testing?

[alisoncooks]

DD has struggled with reading for years, & I'm considering having her tested for reading LDs or dyslexia.  There is no way I can afford many of the local private options (~$1400), nor the local university clinic ($1000).

 

The most affordable testing option I can find is Scottish Rite (at a univ. about 2 hours away, but I'm willing to make the drive).  The only problem is that they require an IQ test/score for clients over age 8 (DD is 9).  I'm hoping that I can get both girls tested if I go with SR, since younger DD also struggles with reading.

 

I am looking into IQ testing locally, but still....most seem to be in the $500 range.  :scared:

 

I'm just curious if anyone here has just had their child's IQ tested, and where did you have it done?  Private psychologist?  Local school system (can we do that -- I'm in NC)?  SOMEWHERE INSANELY AFFORDABLE THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT? (please say yes! ;))

 

I'm at a loss.  I looked into this last year (or 1.5 year ago) and it was so expensive that I put it on the back burner (DH was going through chemo and I.just.couldn't).   :svengo:  

 

I feel like I really should get some answers, so here I am, looking into it again...

Edited March 20, 2016 by alisoncooks

[maize]

Your insurance might cover neuropsychological testing; ours did. I would contact local neuropsychologists and ask them if they are able to bill your insurance. We still ended up paying some but a lot less than we would have on our own.

[maize]

It may also be possible to get testing through the school system.

[alisoncooks]

The kids have Medicaid. I'm pretty sure it will not cover any educational testing. :(

[maize]

Have you checked with your public schools?

[PeterPan]

Get the ps to do it.  The Scottish Rite is probably going to run a CTOPP, and the ps can do that too.  It takes time to work with them, but the price is right.  You need to make a formal written request.  Date it, sign it, hand it to them.  That starts the legal timeline.  Meanwhile, gather your evidence of what you've done so far and why you suspect disabilities.  The ps system does RTI (Response to Intervention) so they can try to delay evals saying they want RTI first.  You want to go in with some kind of paper trail explaining what you've done so far and why they should go ahead and do evals.  

[alisoncooks]

Get the ps to do it. The Scottish Rite is probably going to run a CTOPP, and the ps can do that too. It takes time to work with them, but the price is right. You need to make a formal written request. Date it, sign it, hand it to them. That starts the legal timeline. Meanwhile, gather your evidence of what you've done so far and why you suspect disabilities. The ps system does RTI (Response to Intervention) so they can try to delay evals saying they want RTI first. You want to go in with some kind of paper trail explaining what you've done so far and why they should go ahead and do evals.

Does this vary by state? Would I go to the local elementary or to the county offices?

[wapiti]

I'd definitely see what may be available through the school district.

 

It's interesting that SR is only asking for an IQ test.  It isn't just the IQ test itself that helps ferret out LDs, but IQ testing combined with achievement testing, a separate test.  So, you won't be able to call and ask only for an "IQ test," which by itself is a cheaper price.  The full-blown analysis is where the $$ comes in.

 

(And yes, as OhE noted, for dyslexia you'd want a CTOPP or similar.  IIRC, a speech therapist did a CTOPP for one of my kids.  Also, don't forget annual vision checkups, with a COVD if possible, where you bring up the reading concerns and hopefully the doc will screen for developmental vision stuff)

[PeterPan]

Wapiti, I'm guessing what SR is saying is they can't do the IQ and want that to look for discrepancies.  Believe it or not, there are psychs who will "eval" a dc and never run a CTOPP, sigh.  I turned down a really good one because of that.  

 

[Crimson Wife]

The kids have Medicaid. I'm pretty sure it will not cover any educational testing. :(

 

Medicaid should cover neuropsychological testing if you express concerns about a medical issue like ADHD or autism. Don't frame it as concerns over learning disabilities because they'll just send you to the schools.

 

[MistyMountain]

Medicaid may pay for it. I know the parents who have kids on Medicaid or the state insurance can get the testing since it is covered. If it doesn't you can request testing through the school.

[Tiramisu]

Medicaid should cover neuropsychological testing if you express concerns about a medical issue like ADHD or autism. Don't frame it as concerns over learning disabilities because they'll just send you to the schools.

 

 

I don't know about autism, but our insurance will NOT pay for np testing if the diagnosis given on the script is ADHD.

 

We are supposedly covered for the np testing we had a few months ago. We're waiting for the np to get the insurance payment now and then I'll breathe a sigh of relief. The approval we got was based on the fact that my dd once had a concussion. So the ped wrote the script concussion and chronic headaches. We had to supply documentation from the ER visit and perhaps the ped sent something in documenting the headaches.

 

The price question is tricky. We are in an area with two well-known children's hospitals and an autism-type clinic. I've heard of people paying between $5K-$12K. Even the educational psych place that's supposed to be good is about $1,500 for a lot less testing. Meanwhile, I kept hearing an NPs name and a dev ped recommended her to me as the best. It turns out she charges the same price as the educational psych if she's doing the testing for private people. And if it hadn't been for her guidance, I would not have known dd would probably be covered because of her head injury.

 

The other thing I learned is that if you go through someone who is in network for your insurance--not sure how Medicaid works--there is a limit on the change even if insurance isn't paying.

 

My advice is to keep looking around. And meanwhile, write the letter for the school.

[PeterPan]

Does this vary by state? Would I go to the local elementary or to the county offices?

Sorry, I missed this.  Yes, as Kinsa says, it's federal law.  When I started, our ps tried blowing me off, saying that as a hs'er I had "given up my FAPE" (absolutely NOT true!), etc.  ANYONE, whether ps, cs, private school, hs, whatever has the same legal protections under federal law.  IDEA *requires* the ps to identify students with disabilities.  It does not require them to treat, but it does require them to identify.

 

If your library has the NOLO book, get it.  Meanwhile, don't just go in and ask.  Take an actual written request, with a date, with a signature, hand it to them.  Make sure you have a copy of it before you go in.  This is LEGAL stuff, so you want paper trail.  Email is paper trail, but personally I'd make the request in writing, with a letter, with a date and signature.  It's fine to call the school ahead and start the conversation, asking who it goes to.  Sometimes the principal will handle you, sometimes their SN coor.  Just varies.  

 

It's a process and I'm not saying it's all a bowl of cherries and fun.  The price is right, and they CAN do what you need.  I paid $$$ for a CELF, IQ test, etc., etc. and the ps *can* do that stuff.  The problem is getting them to do it, sure, but actually the real controversy is realizing that they aren't asking the same thing you are.  You want to know if a disability exists.  They want to know if the discrepancy the disability creates is great enough that it affects the dc's ability to access his education.  So you can have dyslexia, have ASD, have ADHD, whatever, but they only do IEPs and acknowledge it when it's severe enough that it's affecting his ability to access his education.  It's a really frustrating hurdle, once you're in the system and realize this.  It makes for situations where people don't understand why they eval'd, why they KNOW it's dyslexia or whatever, and the school is denying it.  But if you can get what you need for the price (free), you can make it work. 

 

Now they *can* pull stunts where they don't do actual IQ, grr.  We've also had reports of people saying there were huge discrepancies between their ps and private evals, meaning they're not necessarily totally reliable.  But the price is right, sigh.  And, you know, ask Scottish Rite where people are going and what your ps is likely to give and whether that would be enough.  Some of the alternate IQ testing the ps does *might* be enough for what SR wants it for.  After all, they're looking for discrepancy, not trying to get you into Mensa.  As long as it allows them to gauge discrepancy, it might be enough.

[Crimson Wife]

We might need to have my little one get a second NP eval (even though she had one at a specialized clinic last June that we paid $$$$ out-of-pocket for) in order to get her cochlear implant. It's part of the CI protocol if we wind up going through Medi-Cal rather than our primary insurance of Cigna. The hospital can only use reports from a Medi-Cal approved psychologist and the one at Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger isn't on the list since she's in MD rather than CA. Stupid and a total waste of taxpayer money to retest DD but that's bureaucracy for you.

 

So I know Medicaid definitely pay for evals in some circumstances.

[Storygirl]

You've gotten great advice here. Since you asked how to get evaluations from the school, I'm just going to break it down for you a bit.

 

1) Look up your school district online and find out the phone number for the special education department. Call and ask them what office you should go to in order to turn in a letter requesting evaluations under the Child Find law. (The Child Find portion of the law is what requires them to evaluate ALL students who live in their service area, not just those that enrolled in the public school). You might ask the name of the person in charge, so that you know who to address your letter to.

 

2) Write a letter describing why you are concerned that your child might have a disability (just sum things up -- don't write a huge report for this) and request evaluations. Note that you understand that the school has until ___ (date-that-is-30-calendar-days-later) to respond, and that they can reach you at your email or phone number. Keep your letter businesslike and respectful.

 

3) Hand deliver the letter to the school office.

 

If the people on the phone tell you that homeschoolers are not allowed to request evaluations, don't believe them. You can politely point out that they are required to evaluate everyone in their area under the Child Find law, and you just want to know where to bring your letter.

 

If they are nice and open and willing to be helpful on the phone, you can ask them further questions you might have about the process.

 

Some states will say that the schools must evaluate homeschoolers but do not have to write IEPs or offer services. If your school has not evaluated many homeschoolers, they might be a little unclear why someone who is homeschooling wants to come to the school for evaluations (I encountered someone like this in the area where we used to live). If this happens, just repeat that you have concerns that you think are worth testing, so that you can understand how best to help your child, and that you are not looking for services from the school.

 

There are some states and school districts that WILL offer services to homeschoolers. This really varies.

 

After you have requested the evaluations, you can do some reading to learn all about the process, so that you know what to expect. Once you get to that point, there are other tips people here can offer you, but I don't want to overwhelm you with them now.

 

First just make the phone call and write the letter, and the school must respond.

 

 

[Alessandra]

Sorry, I missed this. Yes, as Kinsa says, it's federal law. When I started, our ps tried blowing me off, saying that as a hs'er I had "given up my FAPE" (absolutely NOT true!), etc. ANYONE, whether ps, cs, private school, hs, whatever has the same legal protections under federal law. IDEA *requires* the ps to identify students with disabilities. It does not require them to treat, but it does require them to identify.

 

If your library has the NOLO book, get it. Meanwhile, don't just go in and ask. Take an actual written request, with a date, with a signature, hand it to them. Make sure you have a copy of it before you go in. This is LEGAL stuff, so you want paper trail. Email is paper trail, but personally I'd make the request in writing, with a letter, with a date and signature. It's fine to call the school ahead and start the conversation, asking who it goes to. Sometimes the principal will handle you, sometimes their SN coor. Just varies.

 

It's a process and I'm not saying it's all a bowl of cherries and fun. The price is right, and they CAN do what you need. I paid $$$ for a CELF, IQ test, etc., etc. and the ps *can* do that stuff. The problem is getting them to do it, sure, but actually the real controversy is realizing that they aren't asking the same thing you are. You want to know if a disability exists. They want to know if the discrepancy the disability creates is great enough that it affects the dc's ability to access his education. So you can have dyslexia, have ASD, have ADHD, whatever, but they only do IEPs and acknowledge it when it's severe enough that it's affecting his ability to access his education. It's a really frustrating hurdle, once you're in the system and realize this. It makes for situations where people don't understand why they eval'd, why they KNOW it's dyslexia or whatever, and the school is denying it. But if you can get what you need for the price (free), you can make it work.

 

Now they *can* pull stunts where they don't do actual IQ, grr. We've also had reports of people saying there were huge discrepancies between their ps and private evals, meaning they're not necessarily totally reliable. But the price is right, sigh. And, you know, ask Scottish Rite where people are going and what your ps is likely to give and whether that would be enough. Some of the alternate IQ testing the ps does *might* be enough for what SR wants it for. After all, they're looking for discrepancy, not trying to get you into Mensa. As long as it allows them to gauge discrepancy, it might be enough.

The system wouldn't let me 'like', but I do like this.

[Joyful Journeys]

Where are you in NC? I'm in Wake County and they have been wonderful so far. They actually have a Special Education coordinator for non public schools. She walked me through everything I needed to do and let our base school know I was coming. Just had our referral meeting today, a mere 10 days after my written request and the pysch will call me this week to set up their evals. It really just depends!

Edited March 23, 2016 by Joyful Journeys

[alisoncooks]

Where are you in NC? I'm in Wake County and they have been wonderful so far. They actually have a Special Education coordinator for non public schools. She walked me through everything I needed to do and let our base school know I was coming. Just had our referral meeting today, a mere 10 days after my written request and the pysch will call me this week to set up their evals. It really just depends!

Wow, that sounds awesome! I'm just a county over, Chatham. Did you contact the county offices to touch base with this Special Ed coordinator for Non public schools?

[Joyful Journeys]

I actually got her number from a post on a Facebook group on this topic for homeschoolers here. Chatham might not have that position, so perhaps put a call into your base school to see who you need to speak with. I hope it goes smoothly!