psych educational testing, public Vs. Private??

[Guest guest]

can anyone share with me some insight on having a child tested privately vs.

through the school system. is one better than the other in terms of

thoroughness and seeing that all services and needs are addressed?

[Guest guest]

Hi, I’m a private licensed school psychologist in Weston who does private testing. I worked in the county before so I can give you some insight. Now a days, the county is using the RtI (response to intervention) model regarding assessing children’s learning and behavioral needs. This is a three tier process in which interventions are implemented for children and monitored whether they are effective enough or a more intense intervention needs to be implemented. One example would be a child with behavior difficulties. Tier 1 would be good teacher classroom management for the class, if that’s not enough for the child, Tier 2 may be a class wide behavior system in which children can earn rewards, points, tokens, etc. If the child is still having difficulty, Tier 3 may be an individual behavior plan including the family and daily progress monitoring. In order for a child to be tested whether for academic, behavioral or social difficulties, the school must go through this process first. Now, schools do test, but there has to be proven interventions tried before testing. Each school is still a little different, but they are all supposed to be doing the same thing as mandated by the state. Because it is through the school system, it is free if they do any testing, interventions, etc. Your best bet would be to call your zoned elementary school and speak to the ESE specialist to find out that school’s procedures. In a private practice, they can test right away and depending on the clinician, may include school observations as part of their assessment. Most developmental assessments that assess whether or not a child is to be diagnosed with autism or an autism related disorder, can cost between $2000 and $3000 dollars. Many insurances won’t pay for this, but some may reimburse a certain percentage. You’d want to call your insurance company and find out. Hope this was helpful! Dave KraskyLicensed School PsychologistSS 989 From: sList [mailto:sList ] On Behalf Of KazimieraSent: Friday, January 27, 2012 10:55 AMTo: sList Subject: psych educational testing, public Vs. Private?? can anyone share with me some insight on having a child tested privately vs. through the school system. is one better than the other in terms of thoroughness and seeing that all services and needs are addressed?

[Guest guest]

thank you for the great info. my situation is slightly different. we moved my son to a private school about a year and a half ago after receiving an IEP at his public school. so we would be working with a team at his original public school that has had no contact or experience with him. i know that they do rely on information given from his current teachers but i worry about that because they dont really understand my sons difficulties and because he takes medication during the day he presents differently to them. the only reason that jaxson is able to maintain his grades and function on the level that he is is because i work with him so intensely. a fact that seems lost in his school. Kazimiera McCloskey kazimieramccloskey@... To: sList Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 12:19 PM Subject: RE: psych educational testing, public Vs. Private??

Hi, I’m a private licensed school psychologist in Weston who does private testing. I worked in the county before so I can give you some insight. Now a days, the county is using the RtI (response to intervention) model regarding assessing children’s learning and behavioral needs. This is a three tier process in which interventions are implemented for children and monitored whether they are effective enough or a more intense intervention needs to be implemented. One example would be a child with behavior difficulties. Tier 1 would be good teacher classroom management for the class, if that’s not enough for the

child, Tier 2 may be a class wide behavior system in which children can earn rewards, points, tokens, etc. If the child is still having difficulty, Tier 3 may be an individual behavior plan including the family and daily progress monitoring. In order for a child to be tested whether for academic, behavioral or social difficulties, the school must go through this process first. Now, schools do test, but there has to be proven interventions tried before testing. Each school is still a little different, but they are all supposed to be doing the same thing as mandated by the state. Because it is through the school system, it is free if they do any testing, interventions, etc. Your best bet would be to call your zoned elementary school and

speak to the ESE specialist to find out that school’s procedures. In a private practice, they can test right away and depending on the clinician, may include school observations as part of their assessment. Most developmental assessments that assess whether or not a child is to be diagnosed with autism or an autism related disorder, can cost between $2000 and $3000 dollars. Many insurances won’t pay for this, but some may reimburse a certain percentage. You’d want to call your insurance company and find out. Hope this was helpful! Dave KraskyLicensed School PsychologistSS 989 From: sList [mailto:sList ] On Behalf Of KazimieraSent: Friday, January 27, 2012 10:55 AMTo: sList Subject: psych educational testing, public Vs. Private?? can anyone share with me some insight on having a child tested privately vs. through the school system. is one better than the other in terms of thoroughness and seeing that all services and needs are addressed?