Advice Needed Regarding Testing for Learning Disability

Def. a 2nd opinion my son is Autistic, we've had all kinds of testing done on him and none cost that much!!!!! good luck. Try Child Study Center for testing, they take insurance and Medicaid.

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The school dist can test for free and Cooks Childrens and the Child Study Center of FTW can test as well w/ a copay to your insurance. I am doing both at the current time w/ my daughter...good luck!

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You might try Meadowview School in Mesquite. They are a private school for children with learning differences and they do some of the same type of testing as Scottish Rite and others but is much more affordable. Here is their information:

Meadowview School
2419 Franklin Dr.
Mesquite, TX 75150
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Several other people have recommended it, but Child Study Center is great. The only pitfall is that it can take a long time to get results with them as with any public low-cost entity. They helped a lot of kids I taught who had little or no money to spend on that type of service. I agree too with Beth that you do get what you pay for. Sheryl I think it was mentioned the school's liability...my school's policy was that we could recommend drs and CSC or Scottish Rite but could not legally diagnose anything, including ADHD and if we used that label then we'd be liable to pay for it. Have they said your son exhibits behaviors like other kids who have ADHD or any other disorder? They CAN say that so that's their "code" words that he DOES have it but they can't say it, KWIM?? I wish you the best of luck in that situation. Do consider private practice if you want the results quickly. Talk to your pediatrician too and he/she may be able to help and/or recommend someone.

R.

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I have opened a new school in Arlington (www.FlintAcademy.com) for children with or without learning difficulties (a full-inclusion school model). We provide specialized remediation for students with learning disablities. I also teach at the University of North Texas in the Special Education Department. Check out our school at www.FlintAcademy.com As for testing: We test all our incoming students for $450 (looking for achievement levels, abilities, IQ, dyslexia, ADHD, etc). For those not attending our school who want testing, we charge $900. This gives you all the information you need to know to begin remediation. You need to get started on the interventions your child needs to help him learn and progress rather than going for more and more testing. Once you know if it is a learning disability (reading, spelling, etc., and/or difficulties in listening skills, sound discrimination and synthesizing, visual discrimination difficulties) then you need to start getting him the help he needs right away. Don't waste too much time looking for a label before getting actual help for your child.
Sincerely,
Dr. P. Flint

Hi A.,

Sorry I wont be of any help, but I have a question. Did the school take your permission before making your stepson take the test? Are they allowed to do it without parents consent?

TIA
S.

I know it's been years but when my parents tested me through the Doctors and school it was not even close to being that much.

I would DEFINITELY ask for a second opinion!

Good Luck to you and your family.
M.

A.,
My son also has a learning disability that the school was not able to tell me much about or a name for it! How do you ever teach them to live with this disability if they can't tell you what it is called or how to fix it - just that he has it!!! My solution was to take him to The Scottish Rite Hospital. At the 1st appt. they spent 4 hours with me discussing the behavior problems which have been brought on by his learning disability and 6 hours with him testing him all for free. My 2nd appt to get the results is on 12/5 and I have high hopes that I will finally get the right information to help my son. To get started you have to call them and have them send you a packet that his teachers, doctors & you fill out. If I can help you in any way email me at ____@____.com.
M.

A., I don't know what school district you're in, but I hope it's not Keller! It'll be a cold day...before you get them to help & do any real testing. Look up "504" on the internet. There are certain things the public schools are suppose to do to help & test, but some of them tried their darndest to get out of what is their federal requirements.

D.

I was diagnosed with a Learning Disablility as a child and I attended Public School and they requested some test and a private tudor as well and my parents would have to pay for it. Well I have to say that I am sorry my parents wasted there money. Two years later I still could not read or write, I had sevear dislexia. My 3rd grade teacher suggested Texas Scotish Rite Hospital in Dallas. Most people know them for working with handycaped children. But they have a very big division for LD kids, they do the testing and they offer a school to help your child learn to deal with there LD and over come it. Its also all free! My parents never paid a dime, As you can tell my spelling is horriable. But ask anyone the last step to overcomming dislexia is spelling, and I have to say as an adult who holds down an office job, that I work on my spelling but Spell check dose the rest. I wrote backwards when I did write, Public School wanted to Main Stream me or label me as "Special Ed" and attend rescourse classes. Once I was tested My parents took the results to my school and the State of Texas Recongises the test results of Scotish Rite and had to accept them and had to unspecial ed me, and work on some kind of plan to get me where I needed to be. I did attend the School at Scotish Rite and I can say If it wasnt for them I would never be able to Read or Write in the correct manner (not backwards), I wouldnt be able to work a computer or move on with my life and grow up to be where I am today. I hope you find what your looking for, I hope Scotish Rite can help they are wonderful and the price is good : free. I hope you can find the help you need for your child. Let us know

Consider getting the book: Straight Talk about Psychological Testing for Kids. It provides excellent information so that you can make informed choices. I am a psychologist in private private practice (and a mom). My practice focuses on assessment and treatment for children and adolescents. The testing that you receive from the school is often very different from the assessment provided by a private practitioner. It's not that the school is doing a bad job, it's just that their aim with the testing is different. As far as the cost, it seems to me you often get what you pay for. A psychologist in private practice has 5 years of graduate training in addition to a bachelor's degree. By the time you observe a classroom, spend 6 hours with a child, score the tests, write an extensive report and provide a feedback session to the parents, the hourly rate for that psychologist is not outrageous. You would pay far more than that for a good attorney, why not for a good evaluation of your child. I do recommend that you shop around and make sure you are comfortable with the psychologist who is doing the evaluation. In my practice, I offer a free initial consultation to make sure the match is good. Best of luck.

Hi A.,

I am a speech-language pathologist. Although I now practice privately, I worked in the public school system for seven years. Does your step-child attend public school? I ask because I know that when I worked for the school district we were informed that if we recommend another institution for additional testing, the school district would have to pick up the tab. Since private schools are not held to the same regulations, this would not relate to such schools.

It is always a good idea to call several practices and find out if the rates are comparable. If they are not, you might want to find out what services set the higher cost practice apart.

Good luck! Your step-son is fortunate to have parents who are so concerned and eager to help him.

S.