Parent Questions & Answers

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If what you seek is an independent educational evaluation, we recommend you request one in writing to the Director of Special Education. Contact us for a template. Be sure to include your points of contention with the last evaluation/s. If you would like assistance developing a request, consider a Review of Records Consultation. We can review your records and better assist you. You should hear back from the district, in writing, within 10 days of your request. 

 Opt for a Neuro-Psychoeducational Evaluation if any of the following is true:

• Appropriate where a student is dealing with comorbidity (i.e., a combination of disorders)
• There is a need to question, differentiate and, possibly, accurately diagnose disorder/s
• The examiner may need to use a combination of standardized, alternate and neuropsychological batteries to assist LEA in clarifying complex student needs
• If observation of student behavior in the home is necessary
• If there is a complex learning issue additionally compounded by a behavioral disorder
• If a neurological disorder has been diagnosed (e.g., Autism Spectrum, TBI, Seizure Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, etc)

Opt for a Standard Psychoeducational Evaluation if any of the following is true: 

• If none of the above applies AND
• If the evaluation only seeks to verify the district's assessment findings.
• If determining the appropriateness of an educational placement is the primary issue. 
• If the district evaluation was an initial evaluation and if a Neuropsychoeducational Evaluation is not required.

Circumstances where a bilingual evaluation is warranted:

• If the student is an immigrant student. 

• If a student is designated by a school as an English language learner (ELL). 

• If the student participates in yearly state English language proficiency assessment. 

• If the family or school believes the client to be English dominant but the mother language is still used at home.

• If a student with disabilities is an English language learner with speech/language delays. 

• If a student with disabilities was reclassified as fluent English proficient but they are still exposed to the mother language at home.

• Students in dual language immersion programs. 

The acquisition of a second language places an individual at a disadvantage because they are having to learn two languages. Dual language learners often are behind in English vocabulary acquisition which, in turn, affects their comprehension for learning. In these situations, the proper provision of second language supports is necessary to maintain academic success and  promote adequate language acquisition. IEP teams are mandated to make an offer of free and appropriate public education which includes recommendations for English language learners. 

The direct evaluation varies based on client age, needs and cooperation. However, you can count of the following time commitments:

• 6-7 hours of direct testing in office

• 1-2 hours of behavior observation time

• Health, developmental, socioemotional and behavioral questionnaires for parent and school staff. 

• Parent/ guardian/ caretaker interview/s of your goals, student needs and historical facts. 

• Follow up calls or emails to update you on the progress.

• Comprehensive report with IDEIA recommendations for FAPE, LRE, Educational Benefit, Eligibility, Accommodations, Socioemotional, Memory and Family. 

After assessment, scoring, interpretation, compilation and report writing take the longest. The completed report is sent to the school district or SELPA office, at which time they will forward the assessment report to the IEP team for scheduling. If translation services are required, the school district is likely to send the report for translation first before scheduling an IEP. We aim to complete each evaluation in 60-90 days, but some will take 3-6 months due  scheduling conflicts, delays with questionnaire completion, scheduled breaks and special requests for assessment. 

We confidently offer you our experience and expertise in Educational Neuropsychology and with the educational system. Our evaluator offers his insight as a special educator, a school psychologist, a special education administrator and as a parent of five children with special needs. His experience of the education system is an asset to your educational evaluation because he understands first-hand the mindset of Special Education in the schools and of your experience as an involved parent who advocates for their child in public schools. Despite his knowledge and experience with the school system, he, too, has experienced the frustration of being on the parent side of the table. He has fought for his children's educational rights just as much as other parents. As a special education interventionist of over 20 years, he also understands the programs and materials available to students within the school setting. Many of the school's interventions are evidence-based and have been proven to remediate learning disabilities and deficits. With consistency, frequency and structure, successful implementation for remediation is possible. Often, there is no need to recommend expensive, outside services that require more of the parent's time and sacrifice to implement. With the right understanding and plan, a student is able to make adequate and consistent gains in learning. 

A school district will agree to grant an IEE because they agree that there may have been limitations in their assessor's evaluation of your student, they agree that your request is valid, or they will grant the evaluation to keep working relations and the IEP process moving. In approving the IEE, the LEA will offer you a list of evaluators for you to consider. That list may or may not have included our evaluator. The suggested IEE list includes assessors that have been vetted as evaluators with the qualifications to offer you a valid evaluation. It is up to the parent to interview and select an evaluator of choice. A parent might offer the LEA a preferred evaluator's contract information, even if they are not on the list, but such evaluator must meet the assessor criteria and agree to the suggested pay rate. 

It is the responsibility of each evaluator to offer an unbiased, comprehensive and meaningful evaluation. Independent evaluators are not beholden a school district because of contracting agreements. IEE assessors are held responsible for meeting the demands of the evaluation (e.g., assessing the area of concern, providing a written report with recommendations within a reasonable timeframe) and for presenting their report at an IEP meeting. 

Evaluators offer their skills and services to help bring educational benefit to a child. They understand disabilities and the need for the accurate identification of learning disabilities for intervention and goal planning. IEE assessors are not to side with either party or to make recommendations for personal benefit. They serve in their capacity to provide comprehensive evaluation to assist the IEP team in developing appropriate education plans. The likelihood for future contract with a school district is dependent on parent request and not on a working relationship with the school district. 

The test setting is structured to allow a student to feel comfortable and at ease while testing. Young children with disabilities often struggle with behavioral modulation or motivation, so assistance from a parent may be necessary. Wherever possible, however, we try to test without the parent being immediately present so as to not influence the client's behavior or invalidate test outcomes. Generally, children ages 8 years and older are able to test independently. Several sessions may be required to complete testing to ensure attention and cooperation throughout the evaluation. 

For clients with mobility limitations but who are able to complete some assessments in office, a first floor conference room is available. ADA-approved mobility ramps available. For clients with extreme physical or medical needs, we make special arrangements to evaluate in the home setting. With clients whose families lack adequate transportation or when work schedules conflict, with advanced notice, arrangements can be made for a virtual office closer to the family's residence. Testing within district boundaries does not conflict with assessment nor does it influence the evaluation in any way. 

1) If student receives the majority of their instruction on a school campus, arrangements will be made for an in-school observation. 

2) If the student participates in a hybrid model of learning, an observation in school will be conducted. Parent feedback of student behavior during distance learning is obtained.

3) If the student receives the majority of their instruction via distance learning, parent feedback of student behavior during distance learning will be obtained. Questionnaires of student socioemotional functioning and/or adjustment will be included.

4) If a required in-school observation cannot be completed, a draft report will be submitted to the LEA with information gleaned similarly to distance learning evaluations. However, an amended observation will be made available whenever an observation is possible and only upon written request by district.