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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling
What's the point in evaluating kid for ADHD?



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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 9:00 pm
The school keeps pushing for a private evaluation.

He was evaluated already by the DOE and has plenty of services.

They have concerns about attention and executive function. They think it's ADHD.

What's the point in spending so much money on a private evaluation?
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TwinsMommy




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 9:17 pm
The school disagrees with the results of the MFE/ETR and how the IEP is written? I assume it's a private school then? If *you're* happy with the services you're getting and how the IEP is written, then nope, the eval was done, zehu.

If THEY want a private eval, THEY can pay for it. Smile Just like a private school asking you to get a medical diagnosis and/or put your kid on meds--- not their business. The MFE/ETR/IEP is the school's business--- but if it's DONE.... well, they can call an IEP meeting, or they can ask to do an FBA/BIP but that's a lot of action for a family who is happy with the services they're getting. Sounds like the school's intervention specialists need to.... do their job.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 9:21 pm
Are they hinting that they think he would do better on medication?
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amother
Salmon


 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 9:30 pm
We don't live in NY, so I don't know how it would apply to other states. However, the evaluation available here through public schools is nowhere as comprehensive as what is done privately. We chose to go the private route, because we wanted to make sure our son doesn't have other issues besides ADHD. One thing that did come out in private evaluation is that he scored high on depression scale and they recommended therapy. He also has a relatively minor processing issue, but we were aware of that from his OT.
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 9:39 pm
TwinsMommy wrote:
Just like a private school asking you to get a medical diagnosis and/or put your kid on meds--- not their business.


I am concerned that this is their goal- to get a medical diagnosis and put him on meds.

We don't want a medical diagnosis or meds.

They keep on pushing for the evaluation.

We don't want it.

How to handle this?
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Bruria




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:16 pm
Since your child has already been evaluated by the DOE, I don't think they have a choice but to accept that evaluation.The only people that had a right to contest and want a second evaluation would be you and your husband. If you are satisfied with the DOE evaluation, I think the matter is settled.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:24 pm
I would just ask point blank: We had him evaluated by the DOE, their conclusions were [these], and they are providing [these] services to help with that. What do you hope we will gain with a private evaluation?
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amother
Apricot


 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:31 pm
How old is your child? What are the presenting issues.
The typical board of ed eval is usually not worth the paper its written on and definitely should not be relied on to rule out serious concerns. Most board of ed evaluations will try not to put diagnostic language such as ADHD or autism spectrum disorders in them, unless the child already has that diagnosis from another documented source, because this will open up the board of ed to a whole issue of liability in terms of services and financial repercussions for the district. Having served on IEP teams as an evaluator, I know the bias that goes into these reports. My general rule of thumb is to view a board of ed eval as a general starting point to learning about your child but should not at all be considered definitive or an end point.
If the school is insistent, you should take it seriously and seek out a quality evaluation.
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amother
Fuchsia


 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:38 pm
You are probably right that their goal is only to have someone tell you that medication would be beneficial. If they are requesting this, one can assume that wtva help the chld is getting now is simply not enough to help the child succeed in class.

My dd has executive functioning issues. For several years, we had her work with tutors as well as some programs that are advertised as helpful. This year, after the school's prompting, we finally put her on medication (Concerta). (Our pediatrician does evaluations so there was no cost, as visits with him are covered by insurance. It was a pretty straightforward case so didn't see why the expense of private eval was necessary.) As someone who's btdt, I can tell you one thing: I wish we had put her on medication earlier. Her improved focus was immediately obvious, and b"H she has had no negative side effects. However, her increased focus now cannot fill in gaps in her knowledge that are the result of not being able to learn properly for the past 3 yrs. She'll be entering high school next year, and I'm worried for all the catching up she'll have to do.

If this is all about your objections to medication, as I fellow mother, I advise you to give it serious consideration and talk to people who really know what they're saying. I know many people are "against" medication, but it's a disservice to generalize about treatment options without considering specific situations. I cannot give my dd back these past three year of struggling and frustration and lost knowledge. Sad
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manhattanmom




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:50 pm
Maybe they don't necessarily want him medicated
A DOE evaluation won't give a diagnosis--just help him get the services he needs to function in school. And it seems that right now your child is getting the services he needs.
I think I'm in the same situation as you right now--except that I'm not convinced my son has ADHD...just "something going on that we can't pinpoint" and here is why we are going to be having a private evaluation done (don't ask me where because I have no idea yet:)
Here is my take as a parent and as an educator:
1) So right now he's getting the supports he needs but we don't know how this possible learning disability will play out in the future. It could be that once he reaches 5th or 6th grade he will just shut down and not be able to manage his schoolwork.
2) a diagnosis can help you find great resources and connect with other parents.
3) it can help you advocate for him at any stage in his academic career--even to advocate for himself--he may be able to get things like: extended test time or someone to give him exams orally (state tests, even regents, even his SATs!!)
4) what if you move? out of state?--or even to a new school district (not somewhere else in NYC but upstate ny, long island, etc.) his IEP will not come with him. In a place where there are generally fewer services given, and you actually have a diagnosis, it will be an easier process to obtain the services you need.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 24 2015, 11:19 pm
I guess YMMV but I have a different understanding then some in this thread, from experiences as both a special ed provider and parent. This is where my experiences and/or what I've heard differ from other posts here: (all my experience is NY-centric)

1. DOE eval doesn't diagnose for medical purposes but the whole aim of it is to reach a "disability classification" which is basically the same thing. They also most definitely do (perhaps not always but this is what I've seen on evaluation reports) suggest diagnoses - for example you can't bring it to your pharmacy but they would write "the results of bla bla testing indicate that a diagnosis of ADHD is likely" or something like that.

2. Re quality of DOE eval: I guess the quality of the specific psychologist would vary individually but I have definitely seen ones who look like they know what they're doing. The testing they do is pretty standard: Generally an IQ test (WISC/WPPSI depending on age, typically) achievement test (WJ), behavior rating scales for parents and teachers, and clinical interview. They give the full breakdown and interpretation of scores in a written report. If you think there are more mysteries to unravel, a private evaluator may do other testing in more specific areas as well, but this is quite a good starting point and I feel that it very often gives a good representation of what's going on. It won't tell you the specific skills to work on or the best way to address it, that's at the interventionist's discretion and a more in-depth evaluation might offer more advice along those lines, but if what you want to know is whether or not a diagnosis of ADHD or LD is appropriate, it should get you that far unless you think your child is especially complex and you're not sure you agree with the conclusions.

3. The IEP will come with you when you move. You may not keep the same services and goals and everything, but when they take you in the new district will certainly look at the old IEP as a starting point. And they won't necessarily give any more credence to your private eval than to the IEP.
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nylon




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 25 2015, 5:42 pm
In many areas, the local DOE evaluation WILL give medical diagnosis at least if done by doctoral level psychologist. NYC is actually something of an outlier in its refusal to diagnose and insistence on parents obtaining a separate diagnosis. My son got his dx this way. We also did a private evaluation for our own benefit, but the diagnosis was the same.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 25 2015, 5:57 pm
NYC is exactly where I am where the DOE does do what I said - they suggest possible diagnoses and assign a "disability classification." And, in at least one case that I know of, they would NOT accept an outside diagnosis because it was done by a developmental pediatrician and not by an educational psychiatrist. The child had an autism diagnosis from a big name in that field and they would not put autism on the IEP or assign services until they put the child through the DOE evaluation too. Again, this is in NYC and within the past year - no insistence on parents getting private diagnosis (in fact quite the opposite) and very willing to assign the diagnosis themselves. Dont know
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