What is the process for an evaluation?

1. Contact our office to determine if we will be a good fit for your needs and schedule an appointment.

2. Log into the client portal and complete all required paperwork prior to your initial intake appointment. If you are divorced, please make sure to read our policy. One parent will complete paperwork through the client portal, and the other parent will be emailed a copy of the intake forms to complete prior to the appointment.

3. Email or mail a copy of your child's most recent evaluations (through the school or other agencies/doctors), IEP, 504, or grades prior to your appointment. You can also bring copies along with you to your initial intake appointment.

4. You will receive a welcome email with information about how to find the office. Follow these instructions and arrive on time to your appointment (no need to come early since all of your paperwork will already be completed) . This initial appointment is only for parents, guardians, or other adults that you feel will provide good input about your child. You should not bring your child to the initial intake appointment. We want parents to be able to talk freely about concerns and do not want your child to feel judged or evaluated. We will be completing an interview to obtain more information about your child's developmental history and current concerns. At this appointment, we will determine what your goals are for the evaluation, what questions you hope to have answered, and what testing will need to be completed to answer these questions. We will schedule an appointment for your child to complete testing and provide you and teachers with rating scales to be completed prior to testing.

5. We will then schedule a school observation and other interviews that we determined will be needed.

6. Once the observations, interviews, testing, and rating scales are completed and returned to our office, we will score all information and write a written report. We will then schedule a time for you to return to the office to review the results of the evaluation, recommendations, and create an action plan for your child. You will receive a copy of the report at this meeting.

How soon will I receive a written report after the evaluation?

The entire process from the initial intake appointment to receiving results and a written report typically takes around 4-6 weeks. In some cases, teachers or parents take longer than expected to complete rating scales or issues arise in scheduling or completing the school observation. In these cases, it may take longer for the evaluation to be completed. Expect around 2 weeks after all testing and rating scales are completed to receive a report.

How long does the testing take?

The testing typically takes between 2-6 hours, depending on the amount of testing that needs to be completed and the age of your child. In general, testing for young children takes less time than testing for older children and adolescents. Most testing is completed with the examiner and the child. Parents will have access to the business center that has a television, couches, and a large area to work if needed. Cafe Metropolis, located directly across from the office in Optima, is also open at 11:00 AM. Dr. Long will give you an idea of the time involved in testing at your initial appointment. If the testing will be comprehensive, we will schedule testing over two days. We typically schedule 3 hours maximum for the first day of testing, and the rest of the testing is completed on a separate day. Many children struggle to attend or give maximum effort beyond this amount of time. This ensures that we are achieving the best and most accurate results. Your child will also be given frequent breaks to rest and relax between tests. There will be snacks and drinks for you and your child. For younger children, parents are typically involved in the testing process and will be in the office with the examiner and their child.

How should I prepare for the evaluation appointment?

If you have a younger child, let them know that they will be working with a teacher and playing different games and doing fun activities. For older children, you can explain that they are working with a doctor that helps children with school, friends, and feelings. She will be figuring out how they learn best, help them with making friends, help them with their fears/worries, etc. (tailor this to your child's unique experiences). 

On the day of testing, try to make sure your child has had a good night's rest, has had breakfast, and has glasses, hearing aids, communication devices, etc. If you child typically takes medication, make sure that they take their medication prior to the appointment. Many parents want us to see their child's true behaviors; however, not taking medication that they typically take could negatively impact other areas and result in an underestimate of their true abilities on intellectual or academic tests.

Should my child come to the meeting where you review the results?

We recommend to parents they not bring any children with them to the meeting where we review results. It allows parents to ask questions, feel open to express emotions, and freely discuss their concerns. If you have an adolescent who wishes to attend this meeting, then talk about it with them and determine if this is appropriate and will allow you both to have your questions answered. This meeting is typically around an hour in length.

We will often recommend having a second meeting for older children and adolescents to attend with their parents. At this meeting, the focus is on providing positive feedback on the child's performance and areas of strength rather than a discussion of weaknesses or diagnoses. This meeting is typically brief and takes around 30 minutes.

At times, we are not able to thoroughly review all of the results and recommendations in an hour meeting. If this is the case, we will simply schedule another meeting to have more time to review recommendations or answer questions. We will also sometimes schedule follow-up visits with families after the results meeting to assist families with starting some interventions with their children at home or school. For instance, we might devise a behavior plan to be used at home or school or do some brief parent training.

How do I have my child’s report transferred to another doctor, school, or state agency?

You will just need to complete an "Authorization to Release/Exchange Protected Health Information" form, which can be found in the client portal. Please indicate all schools, doctors, or agencies you would like for us to share the report or other information. We will not be sharing the report unless you specifically request us to do so. There is no cost associated with sharing your report to other providers. 

What is your cancellation policy?

We require 48-hour notice if you must change or cancel an appointment. In the event that you must cancel your intake, therapy, or feedback appointment without providing sufficient notice, your credit card on file will be billed $50. 

If you must cancel your testing appointment without providing sufficient notice, your credit card on file will be billed $150. Additionally, we require a non-refundable $300.00 retainer before we will schedule another appointment if a client cancelled/no-showed two consecutive appointments.