Out of Pocket Testing for 5 year old

[MomofM&M]

I don't know about a diagnosis of SI but the following author is one of my favorites on the topic. Easy reads.

http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/

This is a great book about SI and if you read about SI and think that your child could have it, you should definitely check it out. An evaluation by OT is a good idea if you read the book and feel that your child might have it. It can be a comorbidity though so it might not be the only issue you need to deal with.

As far as out of pocket educational testing goes, sometimes if you look around at those private tutoring agencies, they do offer free testing with assumption that you will be enrolling in their services. The age that they offer the testing might be the determining factor for whether you can do this.

Being seen by a developmental specialist is a great idea, particularly if you live close to a large children's hospital that will have all the services you might need. Your pediatrician will likely be happy to refer you if you ask. However, here's the clinker. Most insurances do not cover "developmental issues". I know this as I have referred patients for similar issues and parents have come back telling me the insurance company won't approve the referral. Autism, or the spectre of it since it is in the press so much, however, does seem to get things approved most of the time so if you do go the development route, ask you pediatrician if they think your child could be on the autism spectre and use that is your basis for referral.

Lots of people have already posted great advice and I hope things work out for you and your child. Good luck!

 

[quentina]

Hello All
I'm frustrated and not sure where to turn. Everyone on here is always so helpful so I will start with my fellow DISers. My 5 year old just got his first report card from school. As I suspected, he didn't do very well. To give you all a little background. He turned 5 last St. Patty's day. He was a late talker and has a major speech articulation delay. He has been in speech therapy since he was 3. As far as learning basic numbers and letters, he doesn't retain anything that is taught to him. The children in his class are starting to read, he can only identify a few letters and sounds. My motherly instinct has been telling me that something is just not quite right. His preschool teachers were telling me that he was fine and that boys just learn slower than girls.

I talked to his doctor about my concerns and she agreed that we should do some sort of testing for him because he just isn't learning simple things that are age approriate. His motor skills are fine. He has perfect behavior in school but he is off the wall at times for me. He has major clothing issues. He will only wear a select few pairs of pants and tops. No buttons no pockets. I have to retie his sneakers repeatedly in the morning until the feel "right".

So back to my title, as of now the school district hasn't agreed to any testing for my son.

I don't want to wait any longer. I talked to them back in March about what the pediatrician had suggested but was told to wait. Has anyone ever done this before or have any suggestions as to where to go next and/or how much this usually costs?

We have some of the same issues with our daughter and son who we adopted this year. The best thing we did was look into Project Connect (IU unit). They did the psychological, speech, occupational and physical testing. At this point, we were offered services through the intervention unit. This is state funded and no out of pocket was required. You do not have to meet any income requirements.

With our daughter since she was already in kindergarten, we pushed and I regret to say, threatened. I told the school psychologist that if I did not see testing completed within 60 days (guidelines they need to follow), they will be reading about themselves in the daily paper.

I am a district manager for a retail operation, always carry myself professionally and they believed me when I told them. I did not yell or carry on, in my most professional tone, I advised them of what to come. I will say, I would have followed through on the threat.

My daughter is in full time learning support class, I think my son will follow. After lots of research, I have decided to enroll her in Kumon learning center. Although costly, I have heard so much great stuff about it. So, I am going to try that.

The best advise I can give you, is don't let up. Go 100% to bat for your child. Know your state regulations and follow up with the school psychologist. In PA, they are required to test if the parents put in a written request and they must do it within 60 days.

PM me if you need any guidance....good luck!

 

[MaMa3Princess]

Another special educator here, chiming in........

Actually, your child does not sound like a child with Asperger's syndrome at all, but rather, a child with phonoligical processing difficulties with impact his phonemic awareness skills (a key skill in learning letter-sound correspondence), along with some sensory concerns.

julia

My 3rd DD whom is 5 has the same diagnoises and we were told from the beginning that teaching her how to read would be a long proccess because it is difficult for the child to make the sound/letter connection. We are not waiting on the school system but we have found a great speech pathologist who is working with our daughter privately. for your son.

 

[princessmom29]

IE plans where some of the teacher attended and said ya, ya, and never ever even attepted to to change anything ever. And the teachers who never attended because they know they would never follow the IE plan anyway.

That was the help we got at school.

Agian, I am a teacher and any IEP meeting I attend I do a lot more than yada, yada. I come in with documented difficulties of the student in question, and a plan to assit him or her.

I am a PreK/K teacher with NC public schools and yes, students ARE expected to read in Kindergarten. Right now, I have 8 out of 10 kindergarteners reading at least phonetic words, and the level they need to get to seems unattainable for some of them. Kindergarten is definitely not playing with blocks and tracing letters and numbers nowadays. Not only do they need to read and know numbers up to 100, they need to be able to listen to a passage and write it down.

But in de at least in my school distract (Christina) they start at 1st grade.

I my district (Mobile County, AL) they are expected to read one and two vowel phonetic words, count to 100, and do single digit addition and subtraction by christmas. My sister teaches K and it is tought for her as she gets kids who do not know their alphabet or colors and has to get them to this point in a semester.

 

[momejay]

As a mom of 2 with Autism, one high functioning & one low. I am glad they are teens now. It has been a long road, battling school, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. My DS can now do his own laundry & make his bed. My DD can basically take care of herself. She just needs supervision & is querky about schedules.
(I've gotta add don't battle teachers, most teachers have all been wonderful, it is the administration that I had trouble with.)

The clothes thing...DD would only wear dresses & knee socks. Now she only wears green.
My DS is 12 & finally potty trained. He still doesn't talk any more than he did when he was 5, but he signs.

You know your child best. Good Luck!

 

[hippiechicken]

I say study your rights as a parent, http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home
from the US Department of Education, then have copies of pertinent information and go talk to the principal. I got tired of reading all the replies on the thread (the blaming teachers, specifically), but assume it's a public school. Most schools and teachers want to help ALL children, they aren't there for the money!!
Put your request in writing, follow the law, and the school should also. If they don't, find a better school!!

IDEA Regulations

1. Add a provision regarding initiation of a request for initial evaluation.

Consistent with the consent requirements in 34 CFR 300.300, either a parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability.
[34 CFR 300.301(b)] [20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1)(B)]

2. Add a 60-day timeline to complete initial evaluation (unless the state has an established timeline).

The initial evaluation:

* Must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation or, if the State establishes a timeframe within which the evaluation must be conducted, within that timeframe; and
* Must consist of procedures to determine if the child is a child with a disability under 34

CFR 300.8 and to determine the educational needs of the child.
[34 CFR 300.301(c)] [20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1)(C)]

 

[hroyale]

I'm sorry, I didn't read through all the responses, but I wanted to offer my advice fwiw.

My DS was dx with PDD-NOS when he was 3. His preschool (through the public school here in MA) recommended that he be evauated, but it was up to me to get it done. I called my insurance co, they gave me a list of doctors that they would cover. It took 3 months to get an appointment, and then another 1 for the official dx paperwork. Once I got that, I was able to get him all the services he needed from school.

My biggest advice is not to wait through the struggle with the school district before getting him evaluated. Do whatever you need to do to get him evaluated ASAP, because the process can take a while. Once you get a dx THEN you fight to get the school to provide the services to bring your son up to speed.

Here in MA the evaluation would have cost me around $900 if I had to pay OOP.

Best of luck,
Heather