*heavy sigh* what next?

[sparrow]

So, a few weeks ago I shared here that our family doc was referring us to the University of Michigan for testing ds. I'm not sure what was in this referral request, or what department they were trying to refer us to, but they received a response that they didn't "do that"--according to the receptionist setting up the referral. It's been more than 2 weeks, so I called this AM to get a status. Apparently they are sending the referral to General Pediatrics to "see what they say".

Where does one get testing for possible dyslexia, adhd, auditory and/or sensory processing, etc.? Maybe *I* can point my doctor's office in the right direction. Maybe we should just start with the Intermediate School District? Does insurance cover testing?

Frustrated with the process so far.....can't wait to see what's ahead :glare:.

[Pippen]

I would look check out the Children's Hospital associated with UM. It would be best and easiest to find one overall specialist (developmental pediatrician or pediatric neuropsychologist) who can refer you for the assessments you need and then pull the data together and make specific diagnoses and recommendations.

Check here for the full list.
http://www2.med.umich.edu/departments/mott/clinics/dsp_cliniclist.cfm?group_id=MENTAL

It looks like they have a number of neuropsychologists on staff and you can go by doctor or self refer. I'd start there:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/departments/mott/clinics/dsp_clinic.cfm?service_id=728&group_id=MENTAL

[FairProspects]

For us at least, the testing was done in a lot of different places. The Occupational Therapist was the one who tested for SPD. The Vision Therapist was the one who tested for dyslexia & other developmental tracking/eye problems. We haven't been tested for auditory processing problems, but I think from reading other posts here that a different type of therapist does that. Personally, I would start by trying to find an OT, they can usually test for SPD, ADHD and recommend others who can do additional testing if they feel it is necessary.

:grouphug: I'm sorry! I hope it gets better for you! If it is any consolation, getting the referral/evaluation done was the hardest part and a long wait, and after that we got into therapy very quickly!

[hsbaby]

All of our testing was done through a regional center in CA (free). Maybe do a google search for disability resources in your area. There are usually several non-profits that can at least give you a referral or point you in the right direction:) I had better luck going this route as our local hospitals gave me the run around and/or were not accepting new patients (well, technically they were but appts. were 9 months to a year out). I never had luck with our pediatrician referring us anywhere. Like you said, I don't know what was written in the referral but it seemed we were always turned down either by our insurace or the doctors. I finally bypassed our doctors and went straight to a non-profit that gave me wonderful resources. Hope you find the same!!

[MariannNOVA]

When I was a teacher in a private school, all testing originated at the public school that the child would attend IF that child attended public school. It began with someone coming to our school to observe the child and it went from there.

I'm sorry -- I don't see how old your DS is so I don't know if this info is particularly helpful to you -- but if he is school age, it might be worth a try.

[Dobela]

We started with an educational psychologist at a local counseling center. She did the IQ and achievement testing to see where ds had gaps. We could have done this with the public school but using ours was an extreme hassle, so much so that we stopped working with them. I know others have had better experiences so ps may be a route you want to take.

The ed psych did not feel comfortable diagnosing the dyslexia, and the public schools here will not diagnose it. The ps only wants to determine if the child qualifies for services and not anything further. The ed psych was not familiar with the tests needed to determine dyslexia and said it would be better to find a psychologist who was. We were able to self refer to the ed psych for the testing according to our insurance. Check your insurance policy and find out what you can self refer for.

The vision therapist we use does have some tools for diagnosis of dyslexia, but they are not all that needs to be used for diagnosis. For sensory issues we also were seen by an occupational therapist. We used one connected to a developmental preschool and they were able to obtain referrals and see my son after school hours.

Have you taken time to ask your pediatrician why the referral was to this particular doctor? Maybe it is his way of getting a second opinion for insurance and send your child to a dr that can make all the further referrals you need.

[sparrow]

I would look check out the Children's Hospital associated with UM. It would be best and easiest to find one overall specialist (developmental pediatrician or pediatric neuropsychologist) who can refer you for the assessments you need and then pull the data together and make specific diagnoses and recommendations.

Check here for the full list.
http://www2.med.umich.edu/departments/mott/clinics/dsp_cliniclist.cfm?group_id=MENTAL

It looks like they have a number of neuropsychologists on staff and you can go by doctor or self refer. I'd start there:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/departments/mott/clinics/dsp_clinic.cfm?service_id=728&group_id=MENTAL


Thanks! I know the referral was sent to Mott, but maybe they didn't get the right department.

[sparrow]

:grouphug: I'm sorry! I hope it gets better for you! If it is any consolation, getting the referral/evaluation done was the hardest part and a long wait, and after that we got into therapy very quickly!

Thank you :). Did you self refer to an OT? I'm just trying to cover all my bases so *hopefully* insurance will cover at least some of the cost.

[sparrow]

All of our testing was done through a regional center in CA (free). Maybe do a google search for disability resources in your area. There are usually several non-profits that can at least give you a referral or point you in the right direction:) I had better luck going this route as our local hospitals gave me the run around and/or were not accepting new patients (well, technically they were but appts. were 9 months to a year out). I never had luck with our pediatrician referring us anywhere. Like you said, I don't know what was written in the referral but it seemed we were always turned down either by our insurace or the doctors. I finally bypassed our doctors and went straight to a non-profit that gave me wonderful resources. Hope you find the same!!


We live in a pretty rural area and unfortunately I haven't found too many resources other than the ISD (Intermediate School District, don't know if it's the same everywhere). I've heard the ISD doesn't test for dyslexia. My doc was also reluctant to send us there due to the ISD's inability to help with his own son:glare:. I'll keep searching!

[sparrow]

When I was a teacher in a private school, all testing originated at the public school that the child would attend IF that child attended public school. It began with someone coming to our school to observe the child and it went from there.

I'm sorry -- I don't see how old your DS is so I don't know if this info is particularly helpful to you -- but if he is school age, it might be worth a try.

He's 9, so this may be route we take. I wonder how they would work it for a homeschooled child, since they can't observe in the classroom? It's sounding like maybe I should start with the ISD, though.......

[sparrow]

We started with an educational psychologist at a local counseling center. She did the IQ and achievement testing to see where ds had gaps. We could have done this with the public school but using ours was an extreme hassle, so much so that we stopped working with them. I know others have had better experiences so ps may be a route you want to take.

The ed psych did not feel comfortable diagnosing the dyslexia, and the public schools here will not diagnose it. The ps only wants to determine if the child qualifies for services and not anything further. The ed psych was not familiar with the tests needed to determine dyslexia and said it would be better to find a psychologist who was. We were able to self refer to the ed psych for the testing according to our insurance. Check your insurance policy and find out what you can self refer for.

The vision therapist we use does have some tools for diagnosis of dyslexia, but they are not all that needs to be used for diagnosis. For sensory issues we also were seen by an occupational therapist. We used one connected to a developmental preschool and they were able to obtain referrals and see my son after school hours.

Have you taken time to ask your pediatrician why the referral was to this particular doctor? Maybe it is his way of getting a second opinion for insurance and send your child to a dr that can make all the further referrals you need.


As I understand it, our doc didn't send it to a specific doctor, but a department. I don't what department it was though. Now the referral is going to General Pediatrics, but I don't see that helping much! This may be an insurance issue, like you said. I know we've had plenty of doctors jump through hoops for us to get things covered. I certainly appreciate it!

I believe our ISD also refuses to diagnose dyslexia, however they probably have the resources to refer us. I don't really want to get involved with the school district, but living in such a rural area, our options are a bit limited :(.

[LizzyBee]

Where does one get testing for possible dyslexia, adhd, auditory and/or sensory processing, etc.? Maybe *I* can point my doctor's office in the right direction. Maybe we should just start with the Intermediate School District? Does insurance cover testing?

Frustrated with the process so far.....can't wait to see what's ahead :glare:.

Auditory processing disorder - an audiologist with specialized training

Sensory processing disorder - an occupational therapist - find one that specializes in pediatric patients

Dyslexia and ADHD - an educational or neuro- psychologist - my kids were evaluated at the NCSU Psychoeducational Clinic, which is part of the psychology dept. A google search found a literacy center at Western Michigan U and a psychoeducational clinic at Michigan State U, but nothing similar at U of Michigan.

http://psychology.msu.edu/Clinic/Assessments.aspx
http://www.wmich.edu/coe/spls/clinic/diagnostic-assessment.htm

ETA: I don't know where you are with researching on your own, so this might be "old info" for you. However, reading on my own was more informative and valuable than the testing and resulting reports for dyslexia (in psych they don't call it dyslexia; the dx is specific reading disability and specific disability of writing and written expression). My favorite resources are www.dys-add.com, The Mislabeled Child (www.mislabeledchild.com), and The Everything Parents Guide to Dyslexia by Abigail Marshall.

[sparrow]

Auditory processing disorder - an audiologist with specialized training

Sensory processing disorder - an occupational therapist - find one that specializes in pediatric patients

Dyslexia and ADHD - an educational or neuro- psychologist - my kids were evaluated at the NCSU Psychoeducational Clinic, which is part of the psychology dept. A google search found a literacy center at Western Michigan U and a psychoeducational clinic at Michigan State U, but nothing similar at U of Michigan.

http://psychology.msu.edu/Clinic/Assessments.aspx
http://www.wmich.edu/coe/spls/clinic/diagnostic-assessment.htm

Thank you for the links! They are very helpful.

[Laurie4b]

So, a few weeks ago I shared here that our family doc was referring us to the University of Michigan for testing ds. I'm not sure what was in this referral request, or what department they were trying to refer us to, but they received a response that they didn't "do that"--according to the receptionist setting up the referral. It's been more than 2 weeks, so I called this AM to get a status. Apparently they are sending the referral to General Pediatrics to "see what they say".

Where does one get testing for possible dyslexia, adhd, auditory and/or sensory processing, etc.? Maybe *I* can point my doctor's office in the right direction. Maybe we should just start with the Intermediate School District? Does insurance cover testing?

Frustrated with the process so far.....can't wait to see what's ahead :glare:.

You may need to ask for more specific referrals, rather than a general one. For a general one, you could try a developmental pediatrician. SPD is diagnosed by occupational therapists at this point. Insurance usually covers the testing. Dyslexia is diagnosed by a psychologist of some sort. Given all that you've listed, I would go for a neuropsychologist. The neuropsychologist can also diagnose ADHD. That type of testing is typically NOT covered by insurance. You can get the IQ test done at your local public school, then go to the neuropsych for additional testing and interpretation.

Developmental optometrists claim to test for dyslexia. I would go there only if the OT says there are tracking issues, etc. Optometrists have isolated themselves from other professionals. Their training is focused on visual causes of dyslexia and certainly not on the most common type of dyslexia, which is based on phonemic awareness issues. (We went to a developmental optometrist because ds had specific visual issues. What they did to pronounce "dyslexia" or not was a total joke--- I used to do some testing myself and parent interpretives of all the testing done at a residential treatment center. They use a test that only optometrists use, which is not normed, not recognized by other professionals, etc. consisting only of having the child read a list of words....anyway, off rant.)

For auditory processing, you'll need to go to an audiologist who specializes in that.

[hsbaby]

What about calling a place like ARC to see if they can point you in the right direction?

http://www.arc-resources.org/Home.html

They provide advocacy and assistance for people with developmental disabilities. This includes individuals with disabilities that result in expressive and receptive delays and learning delays. Even if they can't help in your particular situation, they may be able to provide you resources in your area that could.
I know how frustrating the diagnostic process can be. My dd was not dx until she was 7!!! Her ped. kept telling us he knew "something" wasn't right, but couldn't pinpoint it. He sent a myriad of referrals which were denied by insurance. We did make it in to see a Neurologist at Stanford that told me I was "micro-analyzing" her and she was fine. (She is now 12 and has multiple delays...working at a first grade level, etc....so much for being "fine"). She was evaluated by our local school district at 3 and qualified for special ed., but they were still unable to provide us with a dx. They approached her issues solely from an academic stand point and said she was "educationally retarded". As it turns out, she was dx with PDD-NOS with significant delays in expressive language, an array of sensory issues, etc. The road to get there was frustrating and looooonnngg, but I am glad we didn't give up. Keep on pushing, calling everyone, submitting referrals, etc. It will be worth it in the end. Though a dx won't change your child, it definitely helps you to understand your child and find appropriate resources specific to your childs needs. Best of luck to you!!!!