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08.11.05, 19:35 PM Special Needs
20 replies
Rate the professionals you have consulted with/used in dealing with your child's special needs (a la Roger Ebert) I would have GREATLY appreciated informal feedback (thumbs up, thumbs down, and WHY...) a few years ago -- but I've got years ahead of me -- how about it? We could pool our collective experiences... [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
Special Needs 08.11.05, 07:35 PM Flag
 

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Arlene Falk, Speech therapist: 1 thumb down She was recommended by the admissions director of one of the preschools we were applying to for our ds (it wasn't clear that he had any special needs at that point -- as it is, he has ADHD and very high IQ). We were so eager to be do everything we could for him we paid out of pocket (she didn't insurance and wasn't an authorized provider). SO--- during the first part of the evaluation when she was talking to me and hubby, all was going well, I though she was asking all the right questions and and that we were on the right track -- when she said the ST should be three times a week but she'd also accept twice, pay up front per week...so when we told her, no, this is an EVALUATION we are paying for (5 figures folks)- if DS needs ST we will arrange it through his nursery school and board of ed. Her face goddam transformed in a flash. The contempt with which she said, oh, you would leave your son's progress in the hands of city ST who are only working for the city because they're not qualified enough for private practice...Henceforth (even though she had been duly paid for the eval up front) she was visibly disinterested, not "attending" to what she was doing, and finished with a B-S eval that ds showed all indications of PDD, and significant cognitive deficits ... total crap. Oh, she included the comment in the eval that there were serious questions about his oppositional behavior, because he showed an inappropriate lack of apprehension about the evaluation! She knew why we needed the eval but once she realized we weren't going to be ongoing clients, she lost all interest in the matter, and god knows why she wrote those inaccurate, misleading and damaging comments (which are so off base -- he's got problems, just not those!). Arlene Falk gets ONE THUMB DOWN instead of two because I do believe that if you were able to pay on her out of pocket, she could be and probably is excellent. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.11.05, 08:03 PM Flag
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wow thanks for posting this, what unprofessional behavior, how does she sleep at night? Plus I have had some excellent therapists through EI, so I think she is totally off on her assesment of private vs. public [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 10:06 AM Flag
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I cannot stress enough how different our experience has been with Dr. Falk. Unlike the above, we could not more highly recommend her. Importantly, while she had the opportunity to treat our son for a prolonged period of time, she strongly recommended we use another specialist and that person has done an amazing job. Additionally, Dr. Falk has been a great resource to us with our other son on various issues. She has given us her valuable time and advice (without charge). Our experience could not be more different than the above and we were certainly able to pay her for her services. Dr. Falk is a true professional. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 02.05.14, 02:21 PM Flag
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I cannot stress enough how different our experience has been with Dr. Falk. Unlike the above, we could not more highly recommend her. Importantly, while she had the opportunity to treat our son for a prolonged period of time, she strongly recommended we use another specialist and that person has done an amazing job. Additionally, Dr. Falk has been a great resource to us with our other son on various issues. She has given us her valuable time and advice (without charge). Our experience could not be more different than the above and we were certainly able to pay her for her services. Dr. Falk is a true professional. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 02.05.14, 02:07 PM Flag
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I cannot stress enough how different our experience has been with Dr. Falk. Unlike the above, we could not more highly recommend her. Importantly, while she had the opportunity to treat our son for a prolonged period of time, she strongly recommended we use another specialist and that person has done an amazing job. Additionally, Dr. Falk has been a great resource to us with our other son on various issues. She has given us her valuable time and advice (without charge). Our experience could not be more different than the above and we were certainly able to pay her for her services. Dr. Falk is a true professional. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 02.05.14, 02:07 PM Flag
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As a physical therapist I have to say that this would constitute extremely unprofessional and unethical behavior on her part. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.18.15, 04:37 PM Flag
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I am uncomfortable with this, although I can't put my finger on why...I feel more comfortable responding if someone is looking for feedback about someone. Maybe also because the feedback is in a vacuum - I don't know any of you and don't know your chil n so it is tough to know how to apply your feedback to my situation. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.11.05, 08:06 PM Flag
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totally agree, i started to do this and then i thought i am not sure about it. I am more than happy to give feedback on a dr or specialist but am not comfortable completing this. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 07:05 AM Flag
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ITA. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 10:07 AM Flag
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There are lots of websites that rate doctors and have comments just like this. What's the difference? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 01.28.16, 04:01 PM Flag
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Dr, Steven Blaustein (Speech) - EXCELLENT really steered us to the right program for our daughter with ASD [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.11.05, 09:02 PM Flag
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He gets 2 thumbs up from me and my son!!! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 07:55 AM Flag
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O.P. here - I understand the discomfort, esp. if you're CURRENTLY using s.o. It can seem backstabbing...if you raise a concern on a board that you don't want to say to someone's face (they are working with our precious ones, after all!). When I thought about it, thinking of past providers, I couldn't see the reason for awkwardness, but thinking of current ones (only through the school) -- yeah, I see what you mean. I really meant it more as a resource -- all of you know that the therapists, specialists, activities for kids with SN cost so much more than the regular, and yet often one flies blind, as the saying goes. I've been shocked by the disparity between a recommendation and our experience, sometimes...I realize it's happened because professionals can know each other in that capacity, and make a judgment IN THAT CAPACITY -- just not as the consumer/client. So I thought that just rating, on this board, the services/providers - as in, OK, FANTASTIC! or so-so - and why you felt that way, would be a way to spread the collective wisdom a bit further. For our part, we were so pleased by Dr. Saltzman at NYU who did a psycho-educational - and I know another parent who was strongly rec. to one dr. for the psycho-ed, by her pediatrician (in Brooklyn) and she was very unhappy with him. Then she realized her ped and the other doctor had worked on an article together - and how the dr. seemed to a colleague wasn't how he was with an actual client. I was going to ask her to post BTW but she's in Israel for the summer. That's really what I meant. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 02:05 PM Flag
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From the OR who said I was uncomfortable, I totally understand your reasoning and I fully support it, I just feel strange posting the info. But again, I would be happy to post my experience with anyone if someone else is considerign them. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 04:36 PM Flag
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I also thought that it would help to broaden the pool of providers to consider I'm sure that you too hear the same few names in specific areas -- but there is a broader base out there. What I was hoping was to shorten the first step in the process (parents culls names from ped, teachers, etc.) then seeks out feedback after checking for insurance info. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 06:28 PM Flag
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Maybe if we just list who we think is wonderful? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.12.05, 08:44 PM Flag
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I think this poster has hit a nerve. I had a very strange phone interview with another speech therapist. She was slightly odd during the phone interview (nothing I could put my finger on)...but enough for me to decide that our personalities were not a m atch. The she started quizzing me about my insurance. (I planned to pay privately, but did not tell her as I knew I would not work with her for dc) We closed the call, with the ball in my court to phone her back. It was Easter week and I did not phone her (was away). She left me a message stating that the available time slots were now filled and byt the way, my insirance would not accept her services as "payable"...yada yada "I am sure you have a delightful child and wish you well". I am convinced she decided not to work with us because she did not think our insurance would pay....I also think she was a paranoid person who had to let me down....instead of the other way around. Long and boring, I know! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 08.14.05, 12:03 PM Flag
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You think she was paranoid because she verified your insurance for you and followed up with you when you did not communicate that you didn't intend to follow up with her? She acted professionally by attempting to clean up the loose ends on the case. Therapists are not clairvoyant. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.18.15, 04:36 PM Flag
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Our family had great experience with Dr. Jamie Kay. She consults with parents and really helped us find the best people to work with our son, who struggled a lot from middle school onward and has now graduated college, doing really great. I recommend highly. Two thumbs up, if that's possible. Her number is 212-479-7822. She used to be the Director at The Center for Attention and Learning at Lenox Hill Hospital. Now works privately. Very reliable. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 01.28.16, 03:58 PM Flag
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