Questions to ask a Private
Evaluator
It's a good idea to ask
your
evaluator the following questions.
Initial telephone call (secretary):
- When is their
first
available
appointment?
- How much do you
charge of
an evaluation?
- Do they accept
your insurance?
- Do they have a
sliding scale?
- Will they
accept
state rate
from the school for testing?
- Who will do the
actually
testing?
When talking with the evaluator
on the telephone (before your initial apt.):
Have your child's
school
reports in front of you.
Formulate a description
of your child issues.
Be prepared to tell the
evaluator why you are seeking an evaluation.
- What testing
does
the evaluation
include?
- Will they
review
the school
evaluations and add to what you already know about your child?
- Will they
highlight
gaps
in your child learning and help you document your child's educational
progress
or lack of progress?
- Are they
knowledgeable about
the disabilities and language used in state and Federal laws?
- How detail will their
recommendation be? Will their recommendations include number of
times/days for
therapies/remediation?
- Will they
recommend
specific
programs?
- What is the
average
length
of their reports (at least 3 pages)?
- How much of
that
are the
recommendations (at least 1 pages)?
- How long after
the testing can you except your report (avg. 6-8 weeks)?
- Will they
attend
your Team
meeting at school, is there an extra cost?
- Do they have a
referring
relationship with school district? (is there a conflict of
interest)?
- Have they done
work
for your
school district or regional collaborative?
- Will they
charge
you extra,
if your case goes to hearing?
