Let me preface this post by saying that I am truly thankful for the behavioral health services we have access to in our state, and that I generally try to focus on the positive. With that being said, here are my top seven recommendations when going into a psychological re-evaluation:
- Do not speak glowingly about how amazingly well your child is doing and how you can’t believe the incredible progress he has made, or they may conclude that he no longer needs as much help and cut back his hours.
- Do not lament at how little progress your child is making and how things are still just as difficult as ever, or they may conclude that the services are not of benefit to him and cut them out completely.
- Do not hope and pray that your child behaves appropriately and maturely with the evaluator. This is the day it is okay (actually, preferable) to have a meltdown!
- Do not forget to request a copy of the evaluation be sent to you and to make them give you the necessary forms to be granted permission to view your child’s file, or it may take several months to track down a copy later.
- Do not do anything rash when you finally get your copy of the evaluation and it has a secondary diagnosis on it that no one ever mentioned to you. And – please – don’t hurt anyone when you find out that this diagnosis is only on the evaluation because it “must have been on the template in the computer that we used to type up your child’s evaluation” and doesn’t really have anything to do with him.
- Do not assume that any corrections to the previous evaluation (which took months to get filed with the insurance company) have been carefully marked in your child’s file so that the current evaluator will have all the updated information.
- Do not forget to ask the evaluator to recommend that services be authorized for a twelve-month period (since that has been the standard for kids with autism for only, what, the last 3 years!) or you will have to do this all over again in 3 months.
Oh, and I have one more as a bonus, but I’m sure none of you would be silly enough to do this:
- Whatever you do, do not take your big 3-ring binder with your only copies of every evaluation and treatment plan since your child started receiving services 3 years ago and leave it in the playroom at the office. Because when you call, they will tell you that no one has seen it. What they won’t tell you (even when they call you again 2 months later to say that they have your binder and ask when you are going to come pick it up), is that no one has seen it because no one actually ever looked for it.
Photo by Krypto
Trish can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Friday in addition to hosting Try This Tuesday. You can also find Trish at her blog, Another Piece of the Puzzle.