FAQ - Insurance Questions; Report Questions...
Do you take Insurance?
Insurance Questions? We do not accept insurance; however, we can accept payment through your HSA or Flex insurance debit card.
How can I use my HSA account to pay for testing?
What is learning disability testing (and is it FSA-eligible)?
Let's lead with the good news -- in most cases, testing to diagnose learning disabilities is FSA-eligible. This is because learning disabilities fall under various conditions and treatments that meet standard FSA requirements. Some administrators may need a doctor's letter of medical necessity (LMN) before granting eligibility.
Examples of testing for learning disabilities include diagnosing mental and physical hurdles, like neurological issues, vision impairment, hearing problems, congenital disabilities, head injuries, ADHD, and dyslexia.
Let's look at that last one since dyslexia is a common diagnosis, impacting around 15-20% of children and adults in the U.S., affecting their ability to read and speak. While there isn't a cure, tutoring and educational therapy are common and effective treatments.
But many parents and guardians don't realize dyslexia testing and treatment is FSA-eligible with an LMN. The letter needs to explain why the condition requires treatment, how the treatment will improve the condition, and how long the treatment will last.
Education and developmental services
Many FSA owners might not know that education and developmental treatment are also eligible, as long as the programs are used for overcoming a learning disability, not just for behavioral issues. And like other conditions that may require an LMN, once a doctor determines the treatment isn't necessary anymore, your FSA no longer applies.
But if this sounds like your situation, you should ask about FSA reimbursement for tuition for special needs schooling, specialized coaching, or any program that helps a child overcome a learning disability caused by mental or physical impairments. These programs may include:
- Early childhood intervention
- Occupational therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Physical therapy
- Behavioral therapy
- Patterning exercises
- Sensory integration training
In each case, the costs of these treatments are eligible for reimbursement as long as a doctor has made the recommendation. You might find your FSA can cover the expenses of braille lessons, remedial language development training, or even enrollment into specialized schools that can better serve your child's needs.
Diagnosing and treating learning disabilities can be challenging, so anyone facing them should see if potential therapies are FSA-eligible, so they can focus more on overcoming these hurdles and getting the treatments their families need.
source: https://fsastore.com/learn-fsa-learning-disability-testing.html
What can I do with my report?
Report Questions? Your comprehensive report will meet IDEA and 504 eligibility and accommodation requirements from public ISDs, private schools, and Universities. It will also meet requirements for accommodations on standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, GRE, and professional certification exams.
Can I use a credit card?
Yes we can take credit card payment through the invoice we email you.
What does my diagnosis of ADHD include? Is it complete or will I need to see another professional?
Report Questions? You will not receive a more complete ADHD evaluation anywhere else. Here at Texas Center for Educational Testing, we start with a questionnaire and interview and move on to evaluate your cognitive abilities with a focus on areas such as Working Memory and Processing Speed. Additionally, we will incorporate a rating scale of your Executive Functioning into the evaluation. Taking the data from the rating scale, cognitive evaluation, and questionnaire, we will then evaluate areas of suspected weakness such as inhibition, planning, cognitive flexibility, etc, using instruments such as the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and/or the NEPSY-2. We put all the data together to create a profile of strengths and weaknesses that can be compared to the DSM-V Symptoms Checklist for a diagnosis. This diagnosis with the assignment of the DSM-V code is done through the consultation of an LPC/Psychologist (you will see his or her signature at the bottom of the report alongside your examiner). Your complete report then has a detailed diagnosis with the DSM-V code attached, which enables you to submit the report to your doctor to update your medical status and receive a prescription for medication if you and your doctor decide that is best for you. It also provides you with a complete diagnosis that can be submitted to any educational, professional, or government entity for accommodations.
Who can Evaluate for ADHD?
According to Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), the nation's leading nonprofit organization serving people affected by ADHD,
There are several types of professionals who typically diagnose ADHD. These include physicians (especially psychiatrists, pediatricians, and neurologists), psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, and other licensed counselors or therapists (e.g. professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, etc.).In addition to those who may diagnose ADHD, there are numerous other professionals who may have a role in providing treatment and other services for individuals with ADHD and related disorders. These may include various types of therapists or specialists (such as occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, behavior therapists, educational specialists, etc.).
When making an appointment, it is important to be a savvy consumer. Ask the professional about specific experience with and training on children who have ADHD. You may want to ask how the specialist evaluates a child for ADHD so you can be sure that a complete evaluation will be done.
What is involved in a complete evaluation?
An ADHD evaluation has several purposes:
- To find out whether a child has the kinds of symptoms that indicate ADHD
- To understand whether they are severe enough and cause enough problems to require a diagnosis
- To make sure there are no different conditions that explain the symptoms better
- To understand if the child has more than one condition at the same
To understand whether the child has ADHD symptoms, the healthcare provider or ADHD specialist will ask about symptoms of:
- inattention
- impulsivity
- hyperactivity
Evaluating ADHD symptoms can be enough to get an ADHD diagnosis, but it is often not enough to help a child get the right treatment. A complete evaluation will consider all possible causes for problem behaviors.
The complete evaluation will ask about the child’s behavior at home, at school, and in activities like sports or scouting. It will include information from parents or guardians, childcare providers, teachers, other school personnel, or other mental health clinicians who are involved in the child’s care. Sometimes a child will have ADHD symptoms in one place but not another.
Information from these other adults can show where and why the child has some of the behaviors. The information can help rule in or rule out some additional reasons for the behaviors that might need different treatment.
A complete evaluation may include:
- Interviewing the parent and child
- Reviewing family medical history, especially if other family members have ADHD
- Parent- and teacher-completed child behavior rating scales
- Parent self-reports of parenting style
- Spending time with the child to observe behavior either at home, school, or in the office
- Clinic-based psychological tests
- Review of earlier school and medical records
- Intelligence testing, educational achievement testing, or screening for learning disabilities if the child has poor grades or struggles with learning
Not every child receives the same evaluation; their assessment will depend upon their specific symptoms and problems. For example, children who have difficulties with learning may need a different evaluation than those who struggle with managing emotions.
Do you test for Autism?
Autism is best diagnosed by a team of professionals and is not part of the evaluations in this practice.
Questions?
Can you recommend a Dyslexia therapist? Do you recommend other types of tutors?
Yes! We have several Certified Academic Language Therapists in your area that we recommend, We also have a list of recommended tutors for math, writing, and test prep.There are several excellent Speech Language Therapists in your area that we can recommend as well. Click on the "Find out More" button below to find a therapist or tutor in your area.
How is your testing for Dyslexia different than the testing the public school does?
This really depends on the district; however, most districts do not have certified diagnosticians conducting a full evaluation of the student referred, but have a dyslexia teacher evaluate some aspects of reading, phonics, and possibly writing. The student's cognitive processing abilities are not evaluated because a diagnostician or psychologist are the only professionals certified/licensed to perform and interpret these assessments. The difficulties associated with dyslexia typically result from a deficit in reading that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities. It is important to know the student's cognitive abilities in order to know if the weaknesses found are indeed unexpected. Many times dyslexic students may demonstrate some average scores in reading, but what is unknown is that those average scores are unexpected because that student has above average or superior cognitive abilities and is having to work very hard to maintain average reading. This is an unexpected weakness in light of these student's cognitive abilities.
"Reading scores of bright students may be in the average range, but the manner in which they read, the effort required, and the lack of automaticity observed as slow reading is not average. What matters most in diagnosing dyslexia is what the person must do to read-- the energy the individual must expend in deciphering the printer word. Legally and scientifically no ceiling is placed on what level of reading is consistent with a diagnosis of dyslexia. Bright students can have a reading score in the average range and still be considered, and indeed are, dyslexic." Overcoming Dyslexia, 2nd Ed., Shaywitz, 2020, pp 106-107.
If your school district evaluates dyslexia through the Special Education Department, then most likely your student will need to demonstrate a weakness in a corresponding cognitive area that is considered to be an underlying cognitive ability for that academic area in order to demonstrate a learning disability in basic reading. This all needs to happen for your student to qualify for the dyslexia program. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz notes in her updated book, Overcoming Dyslexia 2nd Ed., 2020, (pp. 93-94) "Learning disabilities, as described in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), refer, in part, to such symptoms as 'imperfect ability...to think' which not only do not apply to dyslexia but could even be harmful to those who are dyslexic. Dyslexics have a reading impairment, not a thinking impairment. This is one reason why it is important to differentiate dyslexia from the general and more heterogeneous 'learning disabilities.'"
The evaluation you receive through TxCET includes a thorough cognition evaluation as well as all of the primary characteristics of dyslexia, underlying causes of dyslexia, and secondary characteristics of dyslexia. Additionally, this evaluation will be done in a timely manner, whereas many school districts only evaluate twice a year. We are committed to looking at the whole profile of the student in order to make the diagnosis of dyslexia rather than just scores on reading tests.
What are Executive Functions?
Some people describe executive function as “the management system of the brain.” That’s because the skills involved let us set goals, plan, and get things done. When people struggle with executive function, it impacts them at home, in school, and in life.
There are three main areas of executive function. They are:
- Working Memory
- Cognitive Flexibility (also called flexible thinking)
- Inhibitory control (which includes self-control)
Executive function is responsible for many skills, including:
- Paying attention
- Organizing, planning, and prioritizing
- Starting tasks and staying focused on them to completion
- Understanding different points of view
- Regulating emotions
- Self-monitoring (keeping track of what you’re doing)
Executive functioning skills usually develop quickly in early childhood and into the teen years. But they keep developing into the mid-20s. When kids are younger, some may lag behind peers for a while. As they get older, though, they may have fewer challenges as teens and young adults .
see more on www.Understood.org
What is Dyslexia?
•The student who struggles with dyslexia.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) 2002, defines it this way:
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpectedin relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
Primary characteristics of Dyslexia:
•Difficulty reading words in isolation
•Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words
•Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, labored)
•Difficulty with spelling
Individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment and may not demonstrate all characteristics
Click the "FIND OUT MORE" button to go to our referrence page to learn more about Dyslexia
What accommodations can a student with dyslexia get on college entrance exams like SAT/ACT?
Extended time due to Reading Speed
For many dyslexics, slow reading speed and the need to re-read questions and instructions due to word skips results in a gross underestimation of their knowledge on timed tests.
In general it is recommended that dyslexics get double time for on the SAT or ACT because of the long duration of the tests and the inevitability of more visual errors occurring as students become fatigued.
For those who wonder whether extended time for dyslexic students will create an unfair advantage over non-dyslexics, studies have shown that extended time does not provide any advantage to non-reading-impaired readers, but it does provide a more accurate assessment of the knowledge and thinking abilities of reading-impaired students.
What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is best defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested by illegible and/or inefficient handwriting due to difficulty with letter formation. This difficulty is the result of deficits in graphomotor function (hand movements used for writing) and/or storing and retrieving orthographic codes (letter forms) (Berninger, 2015).
Secondary consequences may include problems with spelling and written expression.It is not solely due to lack of instruction and is not associated with other developmental or neurological conditions that involve motor impairment.
The characteristics of dysgraphia include the following:
• Variably shaped and poorly formed letters
• Excessive erasures and cross-outs
• Poor spacing between letters and words
• Letter and number reversals beyond early stages of writing
• Awkward, inconsistent pencil grip
• Heavy pressure and hand fatigue
• Slow writing and copying with legible or illegible handwriting (Andrews & Lombardino, 2014)
Additional consequences of dysgraphia may also include:
• Difficulty with unedited written spelling
• Low volume of written output as well as problems with other aspects of written expression
Dysgraphia is not:
• Evidence of a damaged motor nervous system
• Part of a developmental disability that has fine motor deficits (e.g., intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy)
• Secondary to a medical condition (e.g., meningitis, significant head trauma, brain trauma)
• Associated with generalized developmental motor or coordination difficulties
(Developmental Coordination Disorder)
• Impaired spelling or written expression with typical handwriting (legibility and rate) (Berninger, 2004).
How's TxCet's dyslexia testing different from the ISDs
This really depends on the district; however, the state of Texas has, for the most part, moved the evaluation of Dyslexia into the Special Education Department. Most Special Education Departments have a narrow definition of identifying students with Dyslexia. These students must demonstrate a weakness cognitively that corresponds to a weakness in an area of basic reading. Dyslexic students are not a "one size fits all" and often do not it this model. IF a gifted student is reading in the average range, he will not qualify because it will be said he is not demonstrating any weaknesses. However, if this student has cognitive abilities in the Superior range and reading is slow and labored, this is indeed a weakness, whether or not the score is in the average range.
Now if the student is not evaluated through the Special Ed. dept., then most likely a reading teacher or Dyslexia therapist will conduct the assessment; however, these individuals are not able to evaluate cognitive abilities, so they will only assess reading, phonics, and possibly writing skills. The student's cognitive abilities are not evaluated because a diagnostician or psychologist are the only professionals certified/licensed to perform and interpret these assessments. The difficulties associated with Dyslexia typically result from a deficit in reading that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities. It is important to know the student's cognitive abilities in order to know if the weaknesses found are indeed unexpected. As mentioned above, dyslexic students may demonstrate average scores in reading, but what is unknown is that those average scores are unexpected because that student has above average or superior cognitive abilities and is having to work very hard to maintain average reading. This is an unexpected weakness in light of these student's cognitive abilities. "Reading scores of bright students may be in the average range, but the manner in which they read, the effort required, and the lack of automaticity observed as slow reading is not average. What matters most in diagnosing Dyslexia is what the person must do to read-- the energy the individual must expend in deciphering the printer word. Legally and scientifically no ceiling is placed on what level of reading is consistent with a diagnosis of Dyslexia. Bright students can have a reading score in the average range and still be considered, and indeed are, dyslexic." Overcoming Dyslexia, 2nd Ed., Shaywitz, 2020, pp 106-107.
If your school district evaluates Dyslexia through the Special Education Department, then most likely your student will need to demonstrate a weakness in a corresponding cognitive area that is considered to be an underlying cognitive ability for that academic area in order to demonstrate a learning disability in basic reading. This all needs to happen for your student to qualify for the dyslexia program. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz notes in her updated book, Overcoming Dyslexia 2nd Ed., 2020, (pp. 93-94) "Learning disabilities, as described in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), refer, in part, to such symptoms as 'imperfect ability...to think' which not only do not apply to Dyslexia but could even be harmful to those who are dyslexic. Dyslexics have a reading impairment, not a thinking impairment. This is one reason why it is important to differentiate Dyslexia from the general and more heterogeneous 'learning disabilities.'"
The evaluation you receive through TxCET includes a thorough cognition evaluation as well as all of the primary characteristics of Dyslexia, underlying causes of Dyslexia, and secondary characteristics of Dyslexia. Additionally, this evaluation will be done in a timely manner, whereas many school districts only evaluate twice a year. We are committed to looking at the whole profile of the student in order to make the diagnosis of Dyslexia rather than just scores on reading tests.
