FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Dr. Bellon only provides assessment services. However, she will be happy to provide you with an appropriate referral to an experienced therapist.
In the case of divorced families, Dr. Bellon requires that both parents sign the consent for testing ahead of time. If one parent has sole medical and educational decision-making rights, Dr. Bellon will need a copy of the court order. Whenever possible, Dr. Bellon will seek to involve both parents in the evaluation process.
Staying in the testing office during testing is generally not advisable or necessary. Children behave differently when they are with their parents, and this can impact the testing results in unpredictable ways. Dr. Bellon is experienced with working with anxious children and is able to build rapport with all kinds of kids. You may stay in the waiting room outside the testing office in case your child needs you during the evaluation. If you have specific concerns about your child’s anxiety or ability to tolerate testing, please discuss these concerns with Dr. Bellon ahead of time.
The general recommendation is every three years, in order to update 504/IEP accommodations. Sometimes the frequency needs to be modified if there is a change in your child’s academic functioning. Alternatively, if your child is doing well in school with the accommodations that are in place, repeat testing can be pushed back. For standardized/high-stakes testing accommodations, testing needs to have been completed within three years of the date of the exam. More information about the requirements for requesting high-stakes testing accommodations is available at the following links:
The time between the initial interview and feedback session is usually about two weeks, depending on scheduling constraints. The report is mailed out within two to three days following the feedback session.
For young children, you may describe the testing process in a variation of following (modifying it to use your own words and to fit the developmental age of your child): “On Thursday, we are taking you to see someone who is going to help us understand more about how you learn. You will do a lot of different things with Dr. Bellon—some of the things will be more like games, and some will be more like the things you do in school, like reading and writing and math. It’s going to be fun, and you’ll get to show Dr. Bellon what a hard worker you are and how much you’ve learned in school.”
Psychoeducational testing is appropriate when you are unsure of what type of learning environment would be best for your child, if your child shows early signs of giftedness, academic, behavioral, or social difficulties, or if your child’s teacher recommends an evaluation.
Evaluation results are protected by HIPAA and confidential. No information will be shared with your child’s school without your written consent. For many referral questions, it is important that Dr. Bellon be allowed to gather information from your child’s teachers; however, you must provide written consent for the teachers to be contacted and for any information to be shared when the evaluation is complete. If you have specific questions about this or are concerned about confidentiality, please discuss this with Dr. Bellon during the initial consultation.
Yes, though this would not be included in the cost of the evaluation. It is often helpful to have Dr. Bellon present at your child’s 504/IEP meeting to explain her findings and advocate for appropriate accommodations and/or services for your child. The presence of a third party advocate is often effective in making sure your child’s teachers and school administrators understand your child’s specific needs and the importance of consistency in his/her accommodations.
Dr. Bellon accepts cash, personal checks, MasterCard, VISA, and Discover.
Above all, Dr. Bellon is committed to providing high quality evaluations that are sufficiently thorough to answer the referral questions, and will never do more testing than is necessary. She provides discounts to college students, in addition to providing low-cost or pro-bono evaluations for hospitalized patients and specific non-profit organizations. If you do not fall into one of these groups but are concerned about your ability to afford an evaluation, please ask Dr. Bellon about the possibility of setting up a payment plan.
Dr. Bellon is not a listed provider on any insurance plans at this time. This allows you to control what health information you want disclosed to your insurance provider, in addition to allowing Dr. Bellon the flexibility to provide the highest standard of care. Many insurance plans provide reimbursement for psychological testing and psychoeducational evaluations completed by an out-of-network provider, and you are encouraged to look into possible reimbursement options ahead of time. The billing statement provided at the end of the evaluation will contain all of the necessary codes and information for insurance submission.
Dr. Bellon is available to meet with your child’s teachers to discuss the testing results and to provide input for the Section 504 Plan or Individualized Education Program (IEP). If further advocacy work is required, she will provide a referral for a special education advocate.
When you call for your free consultation, Dr. Bellon will be able to give you an estimate based on the referral question and nature of the evaluation.