Jessica — a wealthy mom to six children, ages 6 to 19, in California’s Bay Area — has done plenty of things raising her kids that some might find questionable.
uncertain
some → do → kids
She has her nanny work Saturdays and gives her access to her Amazon account, and she thinks of her older kids as “test pancakes.”
asserted
she → have → pancakes
But, she says the most “controversial” thing she’s done is subject each of her kids to an $8,000, nine-hour “recreational” — her word — neuropsychological evaluation.
asserted
she → say → evaluation
Neuropsych evals have traditionally been used to diagnose children who are seriously struggling at school or home and may have significant learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
uncertain
who → use → disorder
But, increasingly, well-off parents are getting the evaluations, which typically cost $5,000 to $10,000 and are done over multiple days, to potentially get their kids extra time on tests and other accommodations — or, in the least, a better understanding of how they best learn.
asserted
they → get → least
“I am a total data person,” Jessica, who asked not to share her last name for privacy, told The Post.
asserted
who → ask → Post
“I want to know how each kid’s brain works, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses.”
asserted
weaknesses → want → ?
The growing popularity of these intensive tests comes amidst rising rates of ASD and ADHD and better awareness, increased screening and changing criteria.
asserted
popularity → grow → ASD
According to CDC surveys, less than 6% of children aged 3 to 17 had an ADHD diagnosis in 1997.
uncertain
% → accord → 1997
By 2024, that number had more than doubled.
asserted
number → double → 2024
In 2000, the CDC identified the prevalence of autism to be 1 in 150 children; in 2022, it was 1 in 31.
asserted
it → identify → 31
Through the evaluations, Jessica found out that one of her children was an auditory learner but a verbal processor.
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one → find → children
“So it wasn’t just that he was repeating everything back to me, it’s how he learned,” she said.
asserted
she → repeat → me
Another kid was discovered to have facial blindness, which means she can’t read emotions on someone’s face.
asserted
she → discover → face
“We now know she needs us to say how we are feeling, and not just make a face and assume she can read that,” she noted.
asserted
she → know → that
With both children, they made adjustments at home and told teachers how they best learned.
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they → make → teachers
Most notably, thanks to the evaluations, two of her children were diagnosed with dyslexia and one with ADHD.
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two → diagnose → ADHD
All three now get extra time on tests.
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three → get → tests
Katie Davis, a clinical neuropsychologist based in New York City, said that a decade ago, she did a neuropsych eval on a child who didn’t seem to need it about once a month.
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who → base → it
(The evaluations entail things like watching kids do puzzles and work with blocks to assess how good they are at concentrating, languages, math, reading, and emotional regulation, among other things.
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they → entail → things
They also typically require parents and teachers to fill out lengthy questionnaires.)
Now, about 40% of the kids Davis tests are “neurodevelopmentally completely normal,” she said.
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she → require → kids
“The whole concept has been twisted and bastardized.”
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concept → twist → ?
Davis, who just released a new book, “Actually, You’re Fine,” focused on the over-diagnosis of disorders in children,
asserted
You → release → children
said she is also seeing more parents come in who are looking to get their kids special provisions, like extra time on exams, including those used for school admissions in New York City.
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who → say → City
“It is these middle- and upper-class families who are paying a ton of money for private evaluations, thinking the services will buoy their kids to the top of the pack,” she said.
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she → pay → pack
Sometimes, Davis said, parents are frustrated when her evaluation doesn’t reveal the diagnosis they were hoping for, but she stands firm in her findings.
asserted
she → say → findings
“I have a very strict bar for recommending disability services and disability accommodations, and my bar is consistent with the legal requirements,” she said.
asserted
she → have → requirements
Even if the evaluation doesn’t yield a diagnosis that will get more time on tests, Davis noted that it still provides parents with valuable information.
asserted
it → yield → information
Dr. Sanam Hafeez, clinical director and CEO of Comprehend The Mind, a medical group in Queens that conducts neuropsychological assessments, has also seen a significant increase in parents coming in as self-referrals — instead of being referred by a doctor due to a notable concern.
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parents → conduct → concern
“I think people see this on social media, and they say, ‘I want it too,'” said Hafeez.
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Hafeez → think → it
But, she doesn’t see anything inherently wrong with the practice.
asserted
she → see → practice
“Figuring out their learning style, what they are susceptible to, it’s a good idea,” she said.
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she → figure → what
“We get our blood work done every year, but we don’t look at what is inside the brain.”
asserted
what → get → brain
Davis noted that sometimes parents think their kids are having serious problems, but clinically, they are healthy.
asserted
they → note → problems
“It is very common for parents to come in and say, ‘My kid is so disorganized, my kid is so dysregulated,'” she said.
asserted
she → come → ?
“We have to figure out if this is a kid with actual ADHD, or a high schooler who just thinks AP chem is really hard.
asserted
chem → have → ADHD
It doesn’t mean the kid is neurodivergent.”
asserted
kid → mean → ?
Some parents of special-needs kids are appalled that parents are putting their kids through these tests when they’re not needed.
asserted
they → appal → tests
“It’s not a badge of honor.
asserted
It → ’ → honor
It’s not like having the best tutors or schools,” said a mother-of-two sons with diagnosed learning disabilities.
asserted
mother → ’ → disabilities
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
