How to Have a Thorough Evaluation

[kellycbr]

We have decided to have our DS (7.5) evaluated. We believe he's in the ADD, Right Brain, Visual Spatial spectrum, and I want the tools to reach this little guy, and help him succeed. Any idea where we start? I contacted our fabulous pediatrician, and she said she would get the referral process started. I'm having his reading assessed by a specialist at the ps on Monday. I was hoping she would be able to give me tools to teach to his style, but I don't think thats going to happen. She said the rest would only be 15 minutes long!!

 

So, I want a full evaluation, and I don't know who does that, what I should ask, what I should avoid, etc. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

[cillakat]

Depending on your public school, it may or may not be helpful in the end. Still do it -- since you're paying taxes and might as well get something from it;) But ime, public schools are very very inept at assessing reading. I was told 3 y ago that my 9.5's reading was on target for 1st grade....it wasn't and I knew it wasn't. But in all honesty, everyone missed that dx. They thought her adhd was just making other things appear worse than they are. Nope, she's mod/severely dyslexic.

 

Get a thorough evaluation from an *educational* phsychologist who comes highly recommended and who has lots of experience. Be sure that they have a *great* rapport with your child as it makes a huge difference. Personally, I'd a avoid a neuropych evaluation at this time.

 

Read up. Good books:

Driven to Distraction

One Mind at a Time

Right brained child in a left brained world

 

I want to understand both her strengths and her weaknesses so I read things across the whole spectrum.

 

The book _The Explosive Child_ has been most most helpful in terms of managing her behavior. Most most helpful if you have one that is constantly freaking out, blowing up, loosing it. Explosive:) It was lifechanging....esp for dh's interactions with her. He wanted her to 'follow directions....or there will be consequences'. Bottom line is that for her, that kind of thinking puts her on the path to ODD and probably Conduct disorder. But if we let that go and work on a more consensual basis, it's much much better. Much better.

 

If he's having trouble with reading, a quick-ish evaluation by a reading specialist who has exceptional experience dyslexia would be recommended. Our psychologist and her teachers totally missed it. The reading specialist nailed it in short short order. Since early intervention is key for reading remediation, don't delay. Sally Shaywitz's book _Overcoming Dyslexia_ is phenominal. Read it. Take notes. Read sections again.

 

Don't be intimidated though by all that needs to be done....you can do it. You can be that expert he needs. I reluctantly became that expert and am now so happy to have made the change (rather than sending her to the $90/hr professional 2x/wk). they need phonics daily, in specific multi sensory, *explicit*, direct teaching, systematic ways. there are plenty of programs that allow you to do this at home should you find out you need to go this path.

 

I'd caution you against being pulled into the mindset that visual spatial learn don't learn phonics and need a whole words/whole language approach. While some will and will go on to be great readers, others will seem to be decent readers for a time, then will hit the wall generally sometime between 5th and 8th grade when their ability to see/memorize shapes of words is overcome by their inability to decode new long multisyllabic words.

 

Phonics instruction done right works for everyone. It's true that some don't need it and read well......they are the ones with an internal phonological coding system that is intact - it was just there. But for the rest, phonics will get them reading......some will need more specific kinds of phonics intervention, but it *will* get them reading.

 

When phonics instruction is done via evidence based methods (normal phonics for non dyslexic kids.....phonics intervention programs for kids dysplaying phonological processing issues), there is virtually no reading reading failure at average IQ levels and up. Virtually none.

 

Oh! The book _How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and onto learning_ is a must purchase. Not a library book like the others but an actual buy:)

 

Wishing you all the best!!

[MicheleB]

We have decided to have our DS (7.5) evaluated. We believe he's in the ADD, Right Brain, Visual Spatial spectrum, and I want the tools to reach this little guy, and help him succeed. Any idea where we start? I contacted our fabulous pediatrician, and she said she would get the referral process started. I'm having his reading assessed by a specialist at the ps on Monday. I was hoping she would be able to give me tools to teach to his style, but I don't think thats going to happen. She said the rest would only be 15 minutes long!!

 

So, I want a full evaluation, and I don't know who does that, what I should ask, what I should avoid, etc. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

 

For my sons, I also had OT evals and speech/language evals done. We went the neuropsychologist route, but I believe my dss have, in addition to academic problems, other issues that needed more support than an ed psych. could provide.

 

I suspected for a while that my 9yo ds had language problems. Not speech articulation, because besides a slight lisp, he articulates well. But rather problems with getting out what he needs to say, retrieving words, etc. I had a speech/lang. eval done by our speech therapist (who was already working with my 8yo ds... he's been in ST since he was 3). 9yo ds showed delays in expressive language.

 

When I had the OT eval. done, I really didn't know what to expect. But both boys show decreased fine motor coordination. So it was helpful info as well. They also showed visual processing problems with the OT eval, and the n.p. showed that as one of their main deficits as well. It was good to hear it from two places. Helped cement it more in my mind.

 

So if you haven't had an OT eval done or a speech/language eval done, it might be something to consider if you see any clues of weakness in those areas.

[Laurie4b]

Write to the director of exceptional children at your public school . State that you believe your child has a learning disability in reading and request an evaluation. That should kick off a full evaluation. A full evaluation would at a minimum administer a WISC-IV (IQ test) and an individual achievement test. (The Woodcock Johnson is common.) Any 15 minute test is a screening, not an evaluation.

 

If you can't get what you want from the public school, I would try first with someone who could administer an individual reading assessment. This doesn't necessarily need to be a psychologist. Many reading tutors will administer testing, and do it well. (You can only get the IQ test from a psychologist, but you may not need it.) A good reading assessment would take about 45 min to an hour. Your child should be given a test in decoding, reading comprehension, & fluency. A test to determine phonemic awareness ability is also important.

 

I would also pick up the book The Out of Sync Child and see if your child appears to have any sensory processing issues. If so, getting those addressed now, through OT, would be important.

 

If you get the info you need from a full reading assessment , and there are no OT issues, you can probably skip the full IQ eval. If however, there are OT issues, I would go for the full eval. Because of the ADHD possibility, I'd suggest a neuropsychologist.