The Aporia · No, Your Kid Probably Doesn’t Need Extra Time on Their Tests

Quick Summary

A neuropsychologist in New York City discusses the trend of parents seeking evaluations to diagnose their children with conditions like ADHD, primarily to secure testing accommodations such as extra time on exams. These accommodations can cost up to $10,000 per evaluation and are often viewed by parents as a means to improve academic performance and standardized test scores. The article argues that this practice has become normalized due to the pressure to reduce student stress and anxiety, despite the potential for overdiagnosis and misuse of such accommodations.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-14, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 14, 2026, neuropsychologist Katie Davis from New York City warns parents that seeking a diagnosis like ADHD primarily for academic accommodations might not be necessary and could lead to overdiagnosis. In her practice, she notices an increasing trend where parents expect diagnoses to secure extra time on tests, which can help students excel academically and perform better on college entrance exams. These evaluations typically cost upwards of $10,000, often not covered by insurance. Davis notes that many neuropsychologists recommend extra test time due to the desire to reduce student stress and anxiety, but she cautions against this practice unless genuinely needed for a legitimate learning disability.

Written for “Accommodations Controversy” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.

Rather than dreading a diagnosis signaling their kid has a learning disability, my clients have come to expect and hope for one.

left implies that seeking a diagnosis is motivated by the benefits of accommodations rather than genuine concern
A diagnosis of ADHD, for example, can open the door to a range of accommodations in school, including extra time for testing, which can help students rise to the top of their classes and eventually score higher on college entrance exams.

left suggests that accommodations are used as an advantage rather than necessary support
I don’t think it’s out of corruption or ill intent—I think providers genuinely want to help reduce students’ stress and anxiety, and see extra time on tests as a way to help.

left criticizes the practice of providing accommodations for non-medical reasons
I know for a fact my practice has suffered because I take a more conservative approach.

right implies that being strict about diagnosing learning disabilities is professionally disadvantageous

Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high

Leaning: leans left for article 78199 (high confidence, 4 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-14

Cite this article

APA MLA Chicago

Davis, K. (2026, October 14). No, Your Kid Probably Doesn’t Need Extra Time on Their Tests. The Free Press. https://www.thefp.com/p/neuropsychologist-test-accomodations-kids

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans left

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

96/100

The Free Press's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Education

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Free Press · 291 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected

No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Katie Davis

1 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

The only article under this byline in the corpus.

Topics

New York City

Subjects

New York City GPE · 1×

Narrative

A diagnosis of ADHD, for example, can open the door to a range of accommodations in school, including extra time for testing, which can help students rise to the top of their classes and eventually score higher on college entrance exams.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-14

2026-10-14 · The Free Press

No, Your Kid Probably Doesn’t Need Extra Time on Their Tests · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

The hardest part of my job is when I have to tell parents that their children are completely fine. asserted

children → have → parents

I’m a neuropsychologist in New York City with more than a decade of experience specializing in neuropsychological evaluations and therapy for kids with learning and attention deficit disorders. asserted

I → ’m → disorders

But in recent years, I’ve noticed a marked shift in my private practice. asserted

I → notice → practice

Rather than dreading a diagnosis signaling their kid has a learning disability, my clients have come to expect and hope for one. asserted

clients → dread → one

students → open → exams

Often, all it takes is a neuropsychological evaluation, which can cost upward of $10,000 and is rarely covered by insurance. asserted

which → take → insurance

These days, it’s rare that I hear of neuropsychologists who don’t recommend students get extra time. asserted

students → ’ → time

I don’t think it’s out of corruption or ill intent—I think providers genuinely want to help reduce students’ stress and anxiety, and see extra time on tests as a way to help. asserted

providers → think → way

Plus, it’s hard to get clients if you gain a reputation for being tough. asserted

you → ’ → reputation

I know for a fact my practice has suffered because I take a more conservative approach. asserted

I → know → approach

No, Your Kid Probably Doesn’t Need Extra Time on Their Tests