Academic Evaluations- is there a need for this?

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:10 pm

I posted a while back asking what would be a fair price for academic evaluations. I do evals in schools, but never did it privately and didn't end up starting after that thread because I got a lot of flack for it...
Please answer honestly, do you think there is a need for it or not?

out-of-towner

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:15 pm

Honestly, if my kid needed an evaluation that was beyond what a teacher could do, I would either take him to a Neuropsychologist or School Psychologist who is qualified to give a real diagnosis.

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:19 pm

amother [ Fern ] wrote:

What would you offer that the DoE is not offering?

The DOE's eval is very shallow. The eval I do is more in-depth. I evaluate every aspect of reading, to identify the root of the problem and come up with the most practical solution that will help the child succeed. I assess every detail of math and pre-math number skills and look out for core issues, etc. I write up a full detailed report of every aspect in the child's learning that was and was not mastered, what is causing the problem and how to help the child reach their maximum potential based on what's causing the issue.

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:21 pm

amother [ Chestnut ] wrote:

Doesn't the BOE do this for free?

The BOE offers a very basic eval for free, which works for some. The eval I do in schools is more in-depth. The question is if people would be interested in paying money for a more in-depth eval.

amother

Fern

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:27 pm

helpful wrote:

The BOE offers a very basic eval for free, which works for some. The eval I do in schools is more in-depth. The question is if people would be interested in paying money for a more in-depth eval.

How much do you have in mind to charge?

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:32 pm

amother [ Fern ] wrote:

How much do you have in mind to charge?

$1,000 which includes;

*a full evaluation on English decoding and encoding (reading/ spelling), Kriah, reading comprehension, math, attention/ focus and auditory processing.

*a comprehensive report on the child's specific level in each academic domain, areas of strengths and weaknesses, root cause of difficulties in each domain, a plan of action (how to work on child's skills to ensure maintenance of necessary skills)

*meeting with parents and/ or tutor/therapist to discuss findings and create learning plan that will help child reach their maximum potential

amother

Chartreuse

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:37 pm

What are your credentials and what methodology of testing are your using? This would help me decide yes or no. But really if the school was the one that recommended you because they saw it helped one of their students in the past, that is what would convince me.

amother

Cornsilk

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:37 pm

I do think there is a need. People want a more detailed exam but can't afford the private neuropsych evals. You should partner with reading specialists, and others who would recommend you.

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:38 pm

amother [ Alyssum ] wrote:

What are your qualifications?

Masters in Special Ed, certified in Orton Gillingham and Auditory therapy, in addition to many courses in Brain functions, ADHD, Executive function.

amother

Chartreuse

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:43 pm

helpful wrote:

Masters in Special Ed, certified in Orton Gillingham and Auditory therapy, in addition to many courses in Brain functions, ADHD, Executive function.

Then yes. I would have loved to use your services a few years ago.

amother

Fern

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:44 pm

helpful wrote:

At this price, I do not think there is a great need. I think there may be a need for lower price points but thats just my opinion. Especially since you say that you do the Evals already, just not privately. It seems like it's taking a bit of advantage. Maybe you can use your skills to treat children as opposed to just offer an evaluation where a parent then still has to struggle to find someone and pay someone to treat the child's deficits.

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:44 pm

amother [ Cornsilk ] wrote:

I do think there is a need. People want a more detailed exam but can't afford the private neuropsych evals. You should partner with reading specialists, and others who would recommend you.

Thank you. The schools I have worked for would recommend me and my name is out there. I am a pretty popular specialist in Special Ed.

helpful

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:47 pm

amother [ Fern ] wrote:

I treat many children with great success BH and have a waiting list of many people who want to get services from me, but I don't have enough available slots. The point of the evals would be that I can guide whichever therapist the parent chooses for their child to get ultimate results if I am not available to treat their child.

amother

Fern

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:54 pm

helpful wrote:

So if the child's therapists is not OG trained or has not trained extensively in executive functioning, how does receiving the evaluation help a clinician treat the child if they don't have the same skills as you. You will offer suggestions, but if they don't have the skills, how does it help?

amother

Forsythia

Sun, Aug 01 2021, 11:55 pm

School forced us to have something like this done. We paid $125
For $1000 you can go to a neuropsychologist. Some neuropsychs even take insurance (hard to find but there are).
I guess what you would do and what a neuropsychologist would do are a bit different.
You may find a niche. There’s no way to know other than to try it for a few years.