Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which evaluation my child needs?
We are here to help! Even with descriptions of the evaluations, it can be difficult to know which is needed in your case. Please contact Allison and she can make recommendations based on your specific concerns. You will meet with Allison for a complimentary consultation before any testing is completed; each assessment is tailored to the referral questions. Every child is different.
Allison personally administers all assessments at a mutually agreed upon location. As a small local business, Allison is able to provide more personal services.
What are the fees associated with this service and do I need to pay in advance?
A down payment of $250 is required to book any evaluation services, while a $150 down payment is required to book any hourly service. The cost for each service varies, and can be found on our Services page.
We will ask you to put a credit card on file to secure your appointment, as the psychologist sets aside a half-day to see your child. The down payment will be put toward the final cost. All payments are required in full the day of testing.
When can I expect the written results?
After test administration and all rating scales are returned, test data must be scored, interpreted, integrated, and written into a comprehensive report. This process will typically take 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the complexity of the case.
What is your cancellation policy
Cancellation of an appointment must be made 48 hours prior to that appointment. This is in order to allow time to offer the appointment to clients who may be on our waiting or cancellation list. Many of our appointments require a half day of the psychologist's time. Since alternative bookings are unlikely on such short notice, our policy is to charge $200 on the credit card on file for missed appointments or cancellations made with less than 48 hours notice, with exceptions made for emergencies.
What is included in the written report?
All complete psycho-educational assessments and assessments for autism/developmental delays include: an intake session with parents/guardians (approximately 1 hour), all testing sessions necessary, and a feedback session with parents/guardians to review written results and discuss recommendations (approximately 90 minutes).
All of our reports include the test scores for each assessment, interpretation, recommendations for eligibility under Article 7 (Indiana Special Education Law), and recommendations for the school specific to your child's profile.
Is my child's information shared with the school?
You own your child's information and choose how and with whom to share it. Regarding our privacy policy, all personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of services will remain confidential and secure except when failure to disclose the information would place a client or other person at substantial risk, when your prior written approval has been obtained to provide information to another professional or agency, or when a court order is received.
Should you request our presence for a meeting at your child's school or in court, those options are available to you as well.
Will the school accept this report?
While schools must complete their own evaluation report, typically schools readily accept outside psycho-educational evaluation results. Allison uses assessments that school systems are extremely familiar with and asks for teacher input regarding students.
If you would like to request representation for a meeting at your child's school, that service is available free of charge if your child has been evaluated by us within the last year.
Do you accept my insurance?
Most insurance companies do not cover psychological testing for developmental delays or learning issues, as they deem these services "educational" rather than "medical," even if the provider is in-network.
Insurance companies only pay for things that are ‘medically necessary.’ This means that someone has to actually diagnose you with a mental health disorder AND prove that it is impacting your health on a day-to-day basis. Because this is a psycho-educational evaluation, diagnoses will not be made. Rather, recommendations are made for eligibility for special education supports and services as it pertains to Special Education Law (Article7).
Another issue is that pre-approvals involve the staff of the insurance company ‘granting permission’ for each and every individual test that we feel we need to administer, prior to our starting testing. We tailor our assessments to your child and the referral question, so we frequently change our test battery after we start working with and getting to know your child, rather than administering the same tests to each client. This individualized approach does not fit with the insurance pre-approval process.
Questions? Contact us today, our team is always ready to help.