Frequently Asked Questions:

How can I prepare my child for school admissions testing?

The best preparation for this assessment is to ensure your child has had a good night’s sleep and has eaten breakfast. If your child regularly takes medication, please have your child take medication on the day of assessment. Children should not attempt to study for the assessments used for the purposes of gifted or school admissions testing. To do so invalidates the test results. Each cognitive test should not be administered more than once within 12 months in order to be valid.

While it is important to encourage your child to do their best, it is also important not to put too much emphasis on any one test as that may increase your child’s stress level which will negatively impact their performance. Trying to prep your child or reiterating the importance of the test almost always has the opposite of the desired effect by causing more anxiety in the child. Most children respond really well to the activities involved in this experience and many have enjoyed it so much they have asked if they can come back to do some more activities!

What can I expect for school admissions testing?

This is typically a one-time visit. During the visit, Dr. Begay will work with the child one-on-one in a room while parents wait outside.  The activities tend to be very engaging for most children. Each activity ranges from easy to more difficult in order to access the full range of the child’s abilities in that area.

Dr. Begay offers the Wechsler tests (WISC-V for children 6 years and older and WPPSI-IV for children 3-5 years old) and the KABC-II (often a more appropriate choice for culturally and linguistically diverse populations). The KABC-II is not accepted by all schools, so if this test is preferred please ensure your desired school will accept the results.

If the school requires academic testing, Dr. Begay can administer reading, writing, and/or math tests from the WIAT-4 and KTEA-3.

What can I expect during a comprehensive evaluation?

Evaluating for suspected disabilities or identified challenges is not a one-size-fits-all process. All evaluations will include an intake appointment (~60-90 minutes), direct assessment (length and number of sessions varies*), time for Dr. Begay to score and interpret results and write the report (time varies; it is related to the number of direct assessment hours), a feedback appointment (~60 minutes), and a comprehensive report with detailed recommendations.

In addition to these sessions, parents will complete an intake survey to provide some initial information to Dr. Begay prior to the intake appointment. Dr. Begay will also collect rating scale data from parents and teachers. Any additional information parents can provide can be very important to the evaluation process. This may include previous evaluation reports (from schools or private evaluation) and any school data (e.g., report cards, school-based testing).

*The number and length of direct assessment sessions depends upon the referral concerns, the testing required to respond to those concerns, and personal factors of the individual being assessed (e.g., stamina, attention level).

What if you don’t see all the behaviors we see at home for an ASD/ADHD/behavioral evaluation?

A well-trained psychologist never takes just one data point to make a diagnostic decision. In order to get a complete picture of a child or teen, information will be collected from a variety of sources (e.g., direct assessment, rating scales, school reports, evaluation reports, parent and/or teacher interview). All information collected will be taken into account when making diagnostic decisions and formulating recommendations. The more information you can provide during the diagnostic process, the more likely Dr. Begay will see a complete picture. If your child has particularly intense and challenging behaviors that are low frequency (i.e., happen less often), sharing a recording of those behaviors with Dr. Begay can be helpful in the diagnostic process.

Do you accept insurance?

Dr. Begay does not accept insurance; however, she will provide a statement at the conclusion of the evaluation that clients are welcome to submit to insurance companies for potential reimbursement. If reimbursement is important to you, please contact your insurance company and ask about reimbursement. You can inquire about the following CPT codes that are most likely to be used (other services may require different CPT codes- please inquire with Dr. Begay):

Evaluation: 90791 (intake), 96136/96137 (direct testing/scoring), 96130/96131 (interpretation/report writing/feedback)

*Inclusion of codes here are for planning purposes only and do not guarantee these codes will be used during assessment; please contact Dr. Begay for specific questions.

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

​

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

• Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.

• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

​