LearningDisabilityTesting

LSAT / LSAC Denial Pitfalls - Accommodations and Extended Time

2011-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

The LSAT / LSAC is getting very specific about requiring a copy of all the documentation included in the documents reviewed section of assessments for accommodations and extended time. I'm now asking the patients I assess to include a corresponding outline of the documentation in sequential order to assist the clerks at LSAT / LSAC in determining that the history of documentation is complete... some individuals that do not send in all the historical documentation have been getting delays...past the LSAT petition deadline...asking for copies of the documents reviewed. Its best to send in the whole package as well as the 20+ page report. Currently, I'm backed up about a month for any new appointments, so keep it in mind when you are looking at your petition deadline, which is different than the actual LSAT registration deadline. We can discuss the probability based on the three conditions of meeting ADA requirements and the symptom history and documented history of past accommodations.

LSAT Accommodations reasonable

2011-04-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

The LSAT accommodation committee is finally getting reasonable with their expectations for evidence or they are so used to me sending in professional assessments for the last 20 years that they feel more confident about the scores and my style of writing. I've had over 95% of the LSAT assessments for accommodations in the past 2 years accepted. Winning.

I'm working on two LSAT accommodations for learning disorders and ADHD right now. Very busy schedule with other assessments (GMAT, GRE, SAT, MCAT, Medical Exam and Bar Exam.) I now have a permanent message with my answering service that I have no immediate appointments available and that I will email potential clients from the waiting list...which is working out so much better than trying to answer a dozen calls and emails every day and still be able to work...it just doesn't happen!

I've been able to give much more specific and direct information about accommodations by emailing instead of talking on the phone. http://www.privatetesting.com/ makes it easy for me to refer people for more information about testing and my email: drmouton@yahoo.com is easier to group and respond. Its also making it easier for me to filter out people who don't really qualify by giving them a screening test. I'm turning down 90% of people contacting me because they aren't likely to qualify with their background, diagnosis (or lack of) or unusual cirumstances....which makes my success and my patient's success rate go up much higher.

Fees for Adults 16 and over are $2928 (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover accepted) for learning disability or ADHD accommodation testing, which includes the 20+ page report and completion of specialized accommodation request forms. For psychological accommodations, testing is much longer (8 hours) $3416 (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover accepted). I'm able to do the entire assessment in a day. For children younger than 16 ($2440) for school accommodations testing is done in 2 hour increments on two separate days, unless parents request it all be done in a day.

Adults and fly in testing still makes up the majority of my practice. Most of the fly in patients come from New York and Boston, with states surrounding California next...and of course nearby counties and cities. So many people fly in from San Francisco or Sacramento that I've identified a hotel down the street from my office so people can fly in the night before, walk to my office, get tested and take Supershuttle back to the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank....really neat process. I'm able to pdf the report in an email in color with my license stamps and send physical copies by 2 day priority mail. Had a few South Easterners from Georgia, Florida and Louisiana fly in last month. Two out of the country client fly ins since February.

I get resumes from Psychologists wanting to work for me every month, but I'm not hiring additional people, standards go down, quality goes down and I don't have time to impart my specialized accommodation knowledge on new people trying to enter the field. Lawyers keep asking to have me on retainer for their cases and again....no. I'm focused on helping individuals get accommodations through the regular route, not going through the court system.

Its been a while since I've done a post...just venting and updating!

ADA accommodation misunderstandings and denials

2010-04-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

I find it amazing that even professionals in the field of learning disorders do not understand the difference between accommodation assessments and learning disorder assessments. A learning disorder or ADHD requires atleast the minimum qualifiers in the DSM-IV-TR, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Where as accommodation assessments must contain the DSM-IV-TR as its foundation criteria AND it must meet the much higher Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA criteria. The misunderstandings occurr most often with attorneys or academicians who know one or the other but not both. A psychoeducational assessment is a minimum requirement to show the significant discrepancy between potential and achievement for a learning disorder and for ADHD, a 10 minute checklist will identify the diagnosis. But, for accommodations the golden triad includes: diagnosis, impact on accommodation recommended (and supported by percentile scores), as well as independent evidence of the symptoms affecting the person, more than the average person, on a daily basis, in multiple areas, is where so many reports fall short and thus contribute to the large number of denials. Just having a diagnosis doesn't automatically qualify someone for accommodations under the ADA, so the emphasis on the diagnosis instead of the impact of the symptoms of the diagnosis are the leading reason for ADA criteria to not be met and for denials for accommodations on the LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, SAT, Medical Board and Bar exams. It is not adequate to have clinical testing for a learning disorder or ADHD. You MUST meet ADA requirements to have a legal case to receive accommodations. The web is full of information about why people are denied, but it almost always comes down to the paperwork submitted was inadequate for ADA standards.

LSAT Accommodations & LSAT accommodation denials

2009-11-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

Well all the accommodation assessments for this deadline are finished and have been sent out. I still have people on http://www.testaccommodations.com/ emailing me about helping them even though the deadline has passed for the LSAT accommodation for this time around. And as usual, up to the day before the test I had people pleading to do their assessment and offering to double my fees to complete it. There is just no way to get it done in such as short period of time and waiting for the last minute is really not the best way to go about it since you will probably leave out some key piece of evidence that could put you in a "denied LSAT accommodation" situation that you definitely do not want to be in. But, if you are one of those people who sent in "incomplete" petitions or were denied because the information you sent in was "inadequate" or were denied for any other number of reasons...try taking the test under regular conditions and compare it to the Full Scale IQ percentile rank from the WAIS-IV you sent in. Is there really a big difference? If not, than you probably didn't have a good case going in. If you are asking yourself "what is the WAIS-IV" than you probably didn't have the right evidence inthe first place. There is a reason half of the people I assess fly in from out of state and it isn't because you can't find someone to test for a learning disability or ADHD, its because very few professionals prepare the report to Americans with Disability Act standards. If you've already spent two or three thousand dollars in test documentation and got denied, there is still a chance 12 months later to be reassessed and apply again...assuming you do have a DSM-IV TR diagnosis and a symptom paper trail from grade school, high school and/or college, your scores show significant impact on the accommodations requested and you have independent evidence of it affecting you, more than the average person in several different environmental areas of your life at present. It helps to have a professional has prepared for the LSAT accommodations hundreds of times before, using ADA standards and not just a clinicians who has been testing for ADHD or learning disorders. Be prepared, ask for organization checklists, take the time to get your transcripts and old report cards. Find your old doctor's notes, your job performance reviews etc. Anticipate this as a major project. You are not beeing screened in for accommodations, you are actually being screened out!

LSAT Accommodation deadlines!!

2009-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Don't wait until two weeks before the LSAT accommodation deadline to get an assessment. Not only will it be extremely difficult to get the testing done and all the documents ordered that are required that provide a good background history of symptoms, it also leaves no time for appeals if you leave out something in your last minute haste. It is extremely difficult to get someone to change their mind about a decision that has already been made. You have to show "significant new evidence" and by waiting for the last minute deadline you essentially lose out on the ability to appeal if you send in your request right up to the minute of the deadline. It takes at least 2 weeks to complete a report from the last day of testing and that is if everything is in order and all documents are complete.

LSAT - Medical Disability Accommodations

2009-10-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Aside from the usual accommodation calls related to learning disorders (some symptoms are dyslexia and dysgraphia); attention deficit disorders (ADHD subtypes impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattentive types.)

I've gotten several inquiry calls recently about accommodations for genetic disabilities; physical problems and neurological problems related to surgeries, past tumor removals etc. The key component (aside from the Medical Doctor who documents the Medical ailment) is the impact of the ailment on the ability to take the LSAT. If all you are doing is documenting that you have a broken arm, or a tumor that was removed or whatever physical ailment that causes a problem, than you are leaving out how it affects the ability to take the test (quantified as a percentile ranking). The psychoeducational assessment piece that identifies by percentile ranking, age equivalent and grade equivalent the person's performance level in relation to the average person is the other significant aspect of showing that a person has a disability in relation to taking the LSAT that stems from the physical or genetic problem and how (very precisely) it impacts different aspects of the exam. Usually I get the calls about the medical disability after they have already sent in just paperwork for the medical issue without any impact scores. It is important to document the impact along with the actual medical disability!

LSAT accommodation previous tester

2009-10-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting theme from a few dozen phone calls: many people calling to say they have used the same person or clinic to test in grade school, high school and college and they got turned down with a long history of accommodations and don't understand why?

Clinical testing is WIDELY available, clinical testing with Americans with Disability Act, legal presentation and organization of documents for accommodations (as required by LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE, Bar and Medical Exams) is a speciality area that very few clinicians master or even begin to understand. Accommodation testing written to ADA standards is a "must" that as a parent or as a patient you need to understand because the clinician may not know the difference and assume they can do their usual "psychoeducational" assessment to school standards. Be forewarned and look for an accommodation specialist for the LSAT that is a licensed Psychologist and knows the differences between ADA standards and Clinical standards. If you have to explain it to them than you are probably not going to get the report you need to receive accommodations if you qualify!

LSAT Accommodation Extra Time

2009-10-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've had so many requests about LSAT accommodations this week that I'm directing all inquiries to my email drmouton@yahoo.com . I have more phone calls than I can respond to right now. Thanks. Please be succinct in your questions. See the web site: http://testaccommodations.com/

SAT extra time on ABC News Nightline

2006-04-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

The SAT extra time interview titled "Does Loophole Give Rich Kids More Time on SAT?" was a pretty good interview of me and I was able to establish that a learning disability diagnosis or Attention Deficit Disorder Diagnosis for extended time on the SAT could not be bought.

I think the misconception by the interviewer, Jake Tapper was that the extended time was based solely on an opinion by a Psychologist or Psychiatrist, rather than on actual test data.

The SAT extended time, or LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE or Bar exam all require the same sets of rigorous testing to establish a person's potential from the tests of cognitive ability or intelligence tests, as well as a dozen subtests which show the impact of the disability on a variety of performance measures.

The Americans With Disabilities Act requirements is almost always where other professionals who do testing fail and cause their patients to have their requests denied, which is why it is very important to have someone who is a licensed Psychologist, with extensive experience testing for learning disabilities and ADHD, and most importantly writing the 20+ page report which accompanies the request for extended time.

The cost of not having an expert is both a loss to the patient in terms of the money they spent to be tested, as well as having to take the test with regular time when they may have been eligible for accommodations if they were tested by a special accommodation expert.

At the high school level, some students in school receive accommodation on in class tests without the high level of documentation required by the Boards, which is fine, until they need extended time in college or the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT or California Bar exam. The documentation and the expertise required to administer the tests, interpret the tests and obtain the appropriate background history for support of the Americans with Disabilities Act is what separates the "experts in testing accommodation" from the minimal requirements of a licensed professionals who will have high denial rates from the boards because of a lack of evidence or lack of appropriate testing.

This week, I heard back from a patient who received extended time on the MCAT (Medical School entrance exams), which is one of the hardest to receive accommodations and he received all of the accommodations I had recommended. Last week, I helped an individual with Attention Deficit Disorder petition their Law School so they could be readmitted into the Law School program with special accommodations.

Not everyone qualifies for extended time, even with a disability. The disability must impact the performance on specific tests and have impact across several areas of a person's life. I have several exclusive forms that I developed for my patients which help them to gather the necessary documents and screen out confounding variables that can be a red flag to a review committee. Usually I can estimate a person's chances of receiving accommodations after the testing is completed and analyzed.

ABC News Nighline Interview

2006-03-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

Dan Morris and Jake Tapper arrived with a huge camera crew yesterday at my office in Pasadena. The crew was much too big for my office, so we broke up the interview into one part in my office and the other part upstairs in the 7th floor conference room. The interview was skewed towards individuals who take advantage of accommodations, rather than people with real disabilities who need the accommodations. It was like being in a court room except there were 2 cameras, a sound guy, lighting guy and a producer sitting across from the correspondent. It was fun, even though I left feeling exhausted and drained. I was hoping we were going to talk more about why people have learning disabilities and how they are assessed and why accommodations would help them to score like others who take the SAT, but I think that may not have been interesting enough. Jake was really good with his questions. He could be a trial lawyer. In the end, I think the interview shows how hard it is to cheat and get accommodations, even though some people may feel that accommodations are not deserved, or give someone an edge over someone who doesn't have a disability. The emphasis on the cost and how some people can't afford the testing is probably going to be the hook for the show. But, public schools are mandated to do testing to identify learning disbilities when they actually exist, so I'm not sure the lack of affordability is really going to be a big factor. Perception about extra time being unfair would probably be a better theme since many people feel that receiving extra time is unfair and it shouldn't be granted. Teachers, principals, doctors and a good variety of people really don't understand what it is like to have a learning disability and to be put into situations that are embarrasing or make you feel less than normal because you can't do things as well as others who don't have a disability. Dan Morris, the Producer seemed nice and Jake had to take the aggressive position, but I hope the interview is able to help people who have learning disabilities to realize they can get accommodations, when they are justified, but they have to follow whatever procedure is necessary in order to receive them. Great Job ABC News.

SAT Testing Accommodations ABC News Nightline Expert Interview April 2006

2006-03-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Dan Morris from ABC News Washington, Nighline Edition and his Producer in New York called me this past week to set up an interview about SAT Testing for extended time accommodations for students with learning disabilities, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD. I spoke with his Producer at length about the reasons why accommodations are needed and granted under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jake Tapper is the correspondent coming out to do the interview. He is supposed to call again this week to set up a specific time on Wednesday, March 22nd to do the expert interview. The interview is going to run prior to the April SAT test date, so I am guessing it will be on Nightline, ABC News sometime toward the end of this month. I also referred him to www.PrivateTesting.com to find out more information about testing for accommodations and the different tests that are used to document the need for extended time accommodations.

LSAT extended time accommodations deadline Friday

2005-09-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

The LSAT accommodations deadline is on Friday and I still have people calling about having a comprehensive assessment and documentation for extended time either for a learning disability such as dyslexia or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). I've sent out a few of my specially designed accommodations forms for new patients to help them gather documentation for the next administration of the LSAT. I always recommend to have them try taking the LSAT practice test under regular time conditions, than continue for another 50% (time and a half) with a different colored pen. They can add up the difference between the two scores and if it is significant, it is likely they will also have signficant scores for extended time accommodations on the LSAT.

LSAT Testing Accommodation Deadline

2005-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

I've received a half dozen calls for LSAT accommodations this week with the deadline being this Friday. There is no way to do a comprehensive evaluation, obtain all of the documentation and put together a 20 page report in that amount of time. Several people I spoke with are going to take the test under regular conditions and they will be assessed by me after the LSAT administration so that the regular accommodation score can be used as partial evidence toward the need for additiona time on the LSAT or other accommodations such as a private room for ADHD. LSAT Documentation is very important to obtain LSAT accommodations for learning disabilities such as dyslexia, reading disorder, writing disorder, math disorder, learning disorder nos or ADHD accommodations. I've referred everyone back to www.privatetesting.com to review the necessary documentation needed and to begin preparing for the next administration of the test.

Pasadena Learning Disability Testing

2005-08-23T14:59:00.001-07:00

I've had several people come to the Pasadena office for learning disability testing on weekends because they are working during the week and I've been able to see them early in the morning and late at night. Extended time on standardized tests seems to be the general need of most of them.

Orange County Learning Disability- Newport Beach

2005-08-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a few more patients in the Newport Beach office for learning disability assessments. This week, it has been in the early grades 1st through 5th grades. I just finished a LSAT accommodation in Aliso Viejo that was very successful.

SAT Accommodation Learning Disability / ADHD

2005-08-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

I finished a report for a patient who drove up from San Diego for SAT accommodations. She had a 504 plan, but of course, it was inadequate for documentation to receive extended time on the SAT. The SAT extended time was no problem as she had good documentation to supplement her psychoeducational evaluation.

Law School Petition for Learning Disability

2005-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I had a patient fly down from San Francisco for a law school petition for a learning disability. The learning disability was a NOS (learning disability not otherwise specified) due to cognitive motor delays (information processing delays.) The patient has a good chance of petitioning for readmission into law school.

California Bar Accommodation

2005-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I completed a California Bar Accommodation assessment yesterday. The patient was very pleased and she had a lot of good documentation. The diagnosis was new, but I think it was very valid. She had a secondary diagnosis if she has to appeal, so she is in a really good position.

Good Day

2005-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had a really good day today. I met with Richard Louis, Director of Special Operations at College Hospital in Cerritos and we worked out a lot of the specific personnel issues with staffing and orienting the new DDMI psychiatric wing. I met the Nursing Director and discussed physical plant adjustments and nursing specifics. We agreed to a meeting date to orient the medical staff to the new wing and a date for orienting the dentist involved with the dental screenings for behaviors. I had several new callers while I was at College Hospital and a request for Educational Therapy for a former patient I had tested. I spoke with a family in San Diego that is coming up to be tested in two weeks at the Pasadena office and I finished up testing today on a GMAT accommodation assessment. I had a call from an out of state professional wanting to learn business operation details and I referred him to LDonline since I am too busy to get involved with consulting to outside professionals on how to run a LD business. I had two new patient referrals and handled some hospital referrals for the regional center. I had several emails for out of state assessments that will be in Los Angeles and want a professional assessment. I also had a referral for a client in Temecula who may be coming in to be tested at the Newport Beach office. A Law School client dropped off a package of background history with MaryEllen at the Newport Beach office instead of mailing to the Pasadena office and since they have a tight deadline, I have to drive to Newport just to pick up the package...too much information in a giant envelope! I had another request to do work with lawyers and I may or may not get involved with the Forensic side of things...but I am really much too busy to take on another side to my businesses. Currently, I have a non-profit, a LLC and two dbas under the corporate umbrella...plus the behavior software I designed for the Palm that is licensed and handled through a Florida company (DDH Software.) My mom is coming in town tomorrow from Dallas so I'm taking a vacation until next Thursday...but, I will have my Treo and Powerbook to stay in touch and keep things running from afar.

Started the Blog

2005-07-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

I've discovered blogging. I just got back from Sacramento, having participated on the State Mental Health Task Force meeting and...along with considering creating a pod cast decided to jump into the fray of blogging. I haven't even read a blog, so I want this first posting to be a baseline of my understanding of a blog from information I've obtained through various media (televion, newspaper, internet etc.) I just understand, up to this point, it is a public on line journal.

I received several calls for learning disability testing assessments today. One caller needed testing to petition to return to Law School. I've done quite a few of those types of assessments. Another caller needed extended time documentation for the SATs. A very bright girl with a 4.35 gpa and extremely low SAT scores...probably cognitive-motor processing delays. I feel that I can speak very generically about callers, without revealing personal information and still have an interesting blog about my assessments of extended time for the LSATs, SATs, GMAT, MCATs, GREs, Law Schools and Bar Exams. I also took in a new patient from Pacificare. I didn't know they had subcontracted their out patient mental health care to MHN. I don't take insurance for testing. Insurance companies never pay enough, they don't cover enough hours to write a report and they don't want to pay for all the tests that are necessary to do a good job. I don't mind accepting insurance for cognitive-behavior therapy. Most patients are successfully meeting their goals within two or three months and than they can go on with their lives independently with new tools while I take on a new set of patients. I don't mind the short-term doctor-patient relationship because I feel really good (and sometimes amazed) at how quickly some people can change and get better. Hypnotherapy is pretty amazing too. I won't do it outside of the course of therapy because it isn't adequately supported and may lead to only short-term results. I spoke with another Law student that I'm testing about coming in to review her report, and getting some more background information. Sometimes patients take a long time to get their documentation together, but it is very important for qualifying the diagnosis under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). When petitions are denied accommodations, it is most often the result of a failure to provide adequate documentation of the impact of the disability across settings in their lives.