vent very bad evaluation

[SoCaliMommy]

My daughter had her evaluated for adhd yesterday through our insurance.
It wasn't was i expected at all, and because they messed up and double booked and couldn't get ahold of us *the other person wouldn't change their appointment* we had to pay the price of waiting and then the appointment wasn't like i was told it'd be over the phone at all which was 2drs evaluating her, instead we got stuck in a regular exam room and the 1 dr asked if she liked school, asked us a 2-3 questions and had her draw a triangle and a square with lines through it, had her do 2 math problems one of which was 6-1 and she wrote 7 and read a small paragraph story out loud and then he asked her questions about the story. and in my opinion really pushed drugs as a only option in her doing better in school. I reluctantly agreed to her trying being on meds, since that is what dh wanted to do. She goes back on 10/8. She started 18mg of Concerta this morning.

The dr also typed up a letter saying
"Alexandria has the diagnosis of Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder
She is currently being treated with Concerta.
Children with the diagnosis of attention deficit & hyperactivity disorder are eligible for 504 accommodations in the classroom. "

I don't see how having a 504 will help her when she already has a IEP. The dr said he read through all the information that i sent him which one being was a copy of her IEP.

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by SoCaliMommy

I don't see how having a 504 will help her when she already has a IEP. The dr said he read through all the information that i sent him which one being was a copy of her IEP.

Any accommodations in a 504 can be placed in an IEP...IEPs have much more support and access to services. If you had concerns I would call a meeting for an IEP review.

Did she see an ADD/ADHD specialist? Often they will do a behavior checklist for home and school...and possibly do an observation.


I am sorry it was not the eval you hoped for!

[SoCaliMommy]

I just looked up the doctor we saw and he wasn't a specialist at all

I'm going to complain to member services about this appointment. I feel like her evaluation shouldn't have been so crappy all because they overbooked and i don't see how they could have done that unless it was done after her appointment was made since it was made like a month ago with them saying that was as soon as they could fit her in. It was suppost to be with their program called The Learning Center which specifically does adhd & other evaulations and i was told when it was made that it'd be done with two doctors doing the evaluation.

[missnoodlesmom]

Huh. IMO, he didn't read through the information and figure out that she already had an IEP because kids who have a 504 don't get IEP's. 504 means you get accomodations/mods but no direct specialized instruction (which is what an IEP is). A lot of kids who have ADHD are on a 504 plan to give them extra testing time, decreasing visual and auditory clutter, less choices on a test, etc. He must have been on "auto-pilot" and just wrote up the standard blurb he wrote for everyone. He didn't take the time to a)listen to you and b)read anything. I would be pretty much livid! Can you be evaluated by a devt. ped? I can't say enough good things about the devt. ped we've seen and the evaluation we got at this office.

[PikkuMyy]

An IEP doesn't necessarily include direct specialized instruction but we can all agree that it is much broader and includes more than a 504 so clearly the doctor wasn't paying attention.

I would definitely call to complain - I am not a dr. but I could have done a much more thorough evaluation based on my degree and years of teaching.

I went through testing for add/learning disabilities as a teen and it was WAY more intense than that.

Def. make an appointment again to see the real team and if you did a copay, I would ask for that back.

[missnoodlesmom]

In our state (and I thought it was a federal guideline), iep means specialized instruction. What type of iep do you have experience with that doesn't have a teacher that's working on specialized/individualized goals for that student? Just curious- I'm a special education teacher in NC and ncurious to find out where it was different because I was under te immersion it was a federal guideline.

[SpottedFoxx]

If you paid a copay - cancel the check. Call the insurance company and let them know how the appointment was handled and ask for a referral to another developmental pediatrician. That is completely unacceptable! I'm angry for you!

We just met with a new developmental pediatrician ourselves. This guy was on the floor playing with our son. The appointment was first with a fellow and then his attending (teaching children's hospital). It was a very positive experience and that is what your family deserves - not some half #!$# appointment but a full evaluation.

I'm sorry for what you went through. {{{hugs}}}

[SoCaliMommy]

SpottedFoxx~ When i filed the grievance yesterday i said they could resovle the issue with a in depth evaluation of ahdd,learning disorders and speech delay. our co pay wasn't bad and if i talk to a real person i probably will tell them that i don't want to pay one for the appointment the set up.


missnoodlesmom~ it is a federal guideline. Though for the 3-4 months the IEP was implemented, i dont believe it helped her any, yet the iep report that was attached to her report card said she was making progress toward the little goals they had for june2010 and school ended the first half of june. Her report card was all 1's below grade level standard.


I got a response back from kaiser pretty fast yesterday saying this "I have forwarded your email to the
appropriate department for response.
"In order to ensure your concerns are correctly addressed I have documented them as a formal complaint and forwarded them to our local Member Services office
where a Health Plan Representative will be assigned to investigate and resolve
the issues on your behalf.

At Kaiser Permanente, member satisfaction is one of our highest priorities and
we sincerely regret to hear that we have not met your expectations. Your
experience does not reflect the standards we strive for. "