Autism/Asperger's Testing Through ISD

I am not experienced with autism/aspergers, although, I do know a little about the testing. We suspected my nephew of having dyslexia, and knew that the ISD would test him also, and of course he was already enrolled in school, although we found out that even if their to young for school, as far as the testing goes, they have to be enrolled so the state could pay for the tests. Another thing is the school is not allowed to tell you where you should go to get help after the school testing is complete or they will have to pay for it, BUT if you do a little research, and find out about a hospital or facility somwhere that will do further testing, and suggest treatment, and YOU tell the school you want to send him there to be tested further, THEY have to pay for it.

My nephew test came back saying he did in fact have dyslexia, and becaue my SIL's mom is a school teacher at another school, she gave her the information to use with the school, so my SIL's told her ISD that she wanted her son tested further at Scotish Rite Hospital for his learning disorder, and the school sent him, and paid for further testing, and the Hospital gave him the tools and information he needed to succeed. All because she asked them to send him. Keep in mind, the ISD will NOT suggest anything, not because they don't want to, but they are not allowed to, because they will have to pay for it, so it is going to be up to you to research the best options that are available, and approach them about it. It's a struggle I know, but so worth it in the end.

I know that wasn't very encouraging, but I hope it helps you in some way.

A.

M.,
Like the other poster said, all the enrolling is necessary to get her in for the free testing. It will take many hours of testing (usually over days) and then a few weeks to gather the results and they will call you in for an ARD and tell you what services they will provide for her.

Is she home-schooled? Or does she go to private? Either way you're entitled to free services but I was going to say if she's home-schooled you will need to work harder to incorporate peers into her life so she can get the social experience she needs.

Also, Easter Seals has an excellent program for 3 to 8 year olds with autism. I would call them right away and ask them to test her or at least find out about the program. That age range is a critical time to get help for kids with autism... it can make a huge difference long term.

Here's my non-profit website that I'm still constructing :

www.theaspergershop.com and will be www.theaspergershop.org (as soon as I get some more $ to pay for the domain name)

It will have info about local groups, therapy info, programs we're hosting and other sites to link to etc.

And Easter Seals of North Texas I can't say enough positive things about... please contact them.

I'm on the UNT Center for Autism Research & Education too... so pm me with any questions and I'll try to help connect you.

Hi M.,

I worked in the school district as a speech-language pathologist for seven years. The school must "enroll" her so that they can pay the providers to serve her. The district must document that she actually exists, so they can justify the financial (not to you - to the district) part of providing services to children. They also have to varify that she lives within the school district, and is eligible for services (as you might guess, some parents prefer the reputation of districts outside of where they live, and try to have them tested and served in those districts).

I worked in Plano ISD, which has a very high reputation for assessing children with autism. If you decide that you would prefer to go the private route (which is very expensive), I would be happy to give you referrals from many of the families with whom I have worked (I have a private practice and have served many children whom have been diagnosed as functioning on the autism spectrum).

Good Luck!
S.