I'm a school SLP.
Do both testing... I really hate it when a Dr or therapist tells a parent to have the school test as it's free. We're evaluating for different things and different reasons and that impacts the evaluation process.
The private evaluation is to consider if there's a medical diagnosis and what treatment options are available through the medical model - medications, therapies. The school evaluation is to see if the child has a disability as specified in that state's Education Code that is impacting the child's access to the general education curriculum. The criteria for the education eligibility is NOT the same as diagnostic criteria in the DSM. The school will NOT give a diagnosis, eg report may something like "characteristics of ADHD" and not ADHD. School services are to help child access curriculum at school and are not to remediate the disability or address impact in all settings/contexts.
Schools operate on a narrower scope for eligibility - State defines when we can provide services as you have to justify child missing instructional time. A child had to fall a certain amount below their peers based on standardized and informal assessments. Just under average range typically isn't enough to warrant a child to miss instructional time. To see a private provider, you're missing non-school time, maybe an after school activity. I have a student in 3rd grade that misses over an hour a day of instructional time from several providers - that's a lot to miss out of a school day.
Do both testing and inform both of test results. Why? So we have a full picture, we can't use the other parties evaluation without doing our own, but we can refer to it. We also can't use same test within certain time period.
Don't give up private eval if you suspect anxiety - I think that's better dealt with in medical model than the education model as medical will be looking at home and school when treating, and at school we address how they're doing at school only. We can't do anything with the family. A private practitioner can counsel the entire family.
The school SST process is going to take some time, they have to document interventions and if move to a full evaluation, that takes 60 days from when sign evaluation request. You may get one evaluation and treatment plan in place before the other.
If he isn't eligible for a disability that's impacting education, he may qualify under a 504 plan. My school has several students with ADHD diagnosis from Dr, academically they don't need services, so they didn't qualify for an IEP, but they have a 504 plan with a behavior plan.
Wording for the school SST meeting - we're discussing options with our doctor.
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