How to get a diagnosis to get help in college???

[susanah4]

Dd will be graduating in a year and a half and though I have seen much improvement I think she may need accommodations to get through college.

What is the easiest/not expensive way to get help?  She had a SPD diagnosis as a small child, but we have never pursued anything since.  I am not looking for in depth information because we know most of her issues after homeschooling for so many years - just whatever paperwork will get her the help she needs to get through school.  

[Storygirl]

What kind of diagnosis would you expect? ADHD? Learning disability of some sort? Autism?

[Jean in Newcastle]

The disability office at any colleges that she’s looking at will have information on their site of what documentation they need. Ds’ college requires a “medical or clinical evaluation. “

 

 

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[susanah4]

What kind of diagnosis would you expect? ADHD? Learning disability of some sort? Autism?

Some kind of documentation of her sensory processing issues at least.  

[Pawz4me]

Ditto Jean -- check with the disability office(s) of the school(s) she's considering. Most will have the information available somewhere online, although it may require some clicking around to find it. Or you can call.

[PeterPan]

If it's ADHD with SPD, then a psych eval (or psych plus OT) within the last 3 years plus whatever other documentation the college wants will suffice. We took our paper trail (psych and OT evals, etc.) to the ped and with that and a bit more our college gave us everything we wanted. Dd got a dorm room with less people, testing accommodations, etc. In her college, rooms with 4 people are the NORM for freshman dorms, so to be in a room with 2 was a big, big deal. Some people will even get solo. Our documentation didn't say that and we didn't feel she needed that. But I'm saying we had all that documentation, because it was a pretty big ask. They do it, but you'll need the paper trail and need to work with them and work through the process. 

 

If you're wanting to discriminate whether ASD is involved and whether she needs therapies or something, well that's going to require evals. 

 

Probably your best starting point is to look at the DSM, see what you think based on the criteria and what you really know about her, figure out what your insurance or funding can make happen, talk to your ped and get referrals. 

 

For the SPD, I think I would get an OT eval with a good OT and take that to your doctor to generate paper trail. Our university had a form. Your school may have a form or want a letter or whatever stating why the accommodation (non-academic, something in the dorms) is needed, why the normal way they do things with freshman won't work, etc. 

Edited November 3, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

It's good that you're doing this. My dd has friends who don't have this kind of documentation to get the accommodations, and when they realized that they were like her but that SHE got them and THEY didn't, they were very bummed! It was a real Wow, my Tiger Mom was RIGHT and awesome and helped me and set me up right for this... kinda moment, kwim? 

 

At the time it seemed like a big pain, but setting up your dc to succeed is important. It's very important to interview and scope out how things are handled at the prospective school, because they're going to vary by school. Some just look at you blankly and some bend over backwards. Where dd is now, she has access to all kinds of things that help her, and at this school it's mainstream enough that some of the services are available to anyone, even without documentation. Some schools just do more than others. For the big asks (weekly academic coaching to make sure assignments are getting done, etc.), that stuff requires documentation. And yes, they do that. My dd gets a weekly block with an academic coach/supervisor who makes sure everything is on track. My dd is taking 300 level courses as a freshman and will take a 400 level course next semester. She's doing great! But she USES all those services. Study groups, limited distraction testing environments, academic coach, less people in the dorm room, EVERYTHING.

[Pawz4me]

According to the psychologist who did DS18's testing, her evaluation and recommendations covered educational issues. She said the need for a private dorm room (or one with fewer people, I suppose) is more a medical issue than an educational one, and she said a letter from an M.D. would be the best route for obtaining that accommodation. We had DS's psychiatrist (who treats his anxiety) write a short note stating he needed a private room and the university complied w/o any questions or hassle.

 

ETA: The private dorm room was really THE accommodation we wanted. The only educational accommodation (so far) that he takes advantage of is the use of a smart pen. He has a number of other recommended accommodations that he hasn't asked to use, but it's good to know the documentation is there if he needs them. I've known several kids (and their parents) who thought the kid would be okay in college. And they were until they weren't! And "not okay" for most of them was like hitting a brick wall at full speed, and there was much panic and floundering and rushing around trying to get the necessary documentation ASAP. So it's very good to have everything in place ahead of time.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Pawz4me

[PeterPan]

Yes, that is what we had, documentation from other places then taken to ped who wrote out the forms for the college. The dorm thing was definitely through the ped. The testing, academic coaching, etc. was with the psych eval. But it all came together, kwim? 

 

We spent a year or two intentionally building a relationship with the ped. When we went in with the forms, he had already seen her enough, trying to help us with things, that he was pretty comfortable signing everything. You have time to do that. I'm just saying we had and it's something to think about. Like if you've been pretty private about it, well this is a time when laying it out all straight, being there, having some appointments, asking for referrals and help, can help. It also teaches the dc how to self-advocate and use medical care.

 

Another small thing I can toss out for you. Our school is *not* upcharging dd for her room. They are legally allowed to do that, charging the posted rates for room type. So even if you get it, they might be charging you 2-3X for the room. It's just something to notice. Like I wouldn't ask and give them a chance to dream up policies. If they have posted rates for type of room (single, double, 4 people, etc.), then just be aware that in asking for it you're also planning to pay for it. I'm really thankful our place ISN'T charging us extra.

Edited November 3, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[OrganicJen]

My son had an evaluation through a neuropsychologist who provided a detailed report that included recommendations such as what accommodations could be useful in college etc, that we can show the college. So a neuropsych eval could be useful to you because it's a lot more than just a label of a diagnosis, it explains details including what accommodations the child would need.

[PeterPan]

Clinical psych can write accommodations too. Around here, the popular neuropsych is $2500 for an eval and the clinical psych in the same practice is $800. Just depends on which you need. They say if no SLDs, go clinical and save the $$$. And the clinical psych here does that all the time, making the paper trail for kids going to college. So if you find somebody who does it a lot, they should be good at it.