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DataDoxy · 09-24-2014, 06:24 PM

I understand your concerns regarding testing. First, you are right that many kids who are 4, 5, and even 6 years old have trouble articulating certain sounds. This was the case for my nephew who is now twelve and speaks very well. However, this can be an early sign of later speech, hearing or other issues, although that is most certainly not always the case! As I said earlier, my nephew had a lot of trouble with his speech until he was seven and he has no issues today.

So... Here are some options for you. You can have your son tested which can happen two ways; the school can assess him, or you can have him assessed privately. It is important to know that if the school assess him, they retain the data for his file. Now, just because they keep the data does not mean he can be put into a particular program or that additional funding will be granted to the school if he is in fact, "coded". From what I understand you, the parent, gets to sign off on this before anything can happen, so you do have control of how the data is used. (I recommend verifying the school policy on this before agreeing to any testing just in case their protocol is different). It is also important to keep in mind that if the school owns the data, it will remain in your child's file during their school career and can be referenced by his teachers. The second option is to get your son tested privately. This way you own the data. Then, you can choose to bring the results to the school or keep them for yourself. If something is found out and you decide to bring the results to the school, you can ask them what your child's options are in terms of support or special programs. If you do not like the answers you are getting, you can walk away with the data in hand and it will not go in your child's file.

Your other option is not to assess at this point. This way you can wait it out for a bit longer to see how things progress. Or, get a second opinion. To answer your question about funding... schools do get extra funding if/when kids are coded but this money is used to help them, not to benefit the school in general.

Hope this helps.

09-24-2014, 06:24 PM	#14
DataDoxy Bingo's Better Half Join Date: Jul 2014 Exp:	I understand your concerns regarding testing. First, you are right that many kids who are 4, 5, and even 6 years old have trouble articulating certain sounds. This was the case for my nephew who is now twelve and speaks very well. However, this can be an early sign of later speech, hearing or other issues, although that is most certainly not always the case! As I said earlier, my nephew had a lot of trouble with his speech until he was seven and he has no issues today. So... Here are some options for you. You can have your son tested which can happen two ways; the school can assess him, or you can have him assessed privately. It is important to know that if the school assess him, they retain the data for his file. Now, just because they keep the data does not mean he can be put into a particular program or that additional funding will be granted to the school if he is in fact, "coded". From what I understand you, the parent, gets to sign off on this before anything can happen, so you do have control of how the data is used. (I recommend verifying the school policy on this before agreeing to any testing just in case their protocol is different). It is also important to keep in mind that if the school owns the data, it will remain in your child's file during their school career and can be referenced by his teachers. The second option is to get your son tested privately. This way you own the data. Then, you can choose to bring the results to the school or keep them for yourself. If something is found out and you decide to bring the results to the school, you can ask them what your child's options are in terms of support or special programs. If you do not like the answers you are getting, you can walk away with the data in hand and it will not go in your child's file. Your other option is not to assess at this point. This way you can wait it out for a bit longer to see how things progress. Or, get a second opinion. To answer your question about funding... schools do get extra funding if/when kids are coded but this money is used to help them, not to benefit the school in general. Hope this helps. Last edited by DataDoxy; 09-24-2014 at 07:02 PM.