Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Effectively Communicating Neuropsychological Assessment Results at IEP Team Meetings: A Conversation with Dr. Karen Postal

What options are available to Team members for productively discussing a child's educational needs in light of private medical evaluations particularly when the potential for conflict is high? As a former IEP Team Chair, this is a question I've grappled with for years. And like so many "big" questions, I don't think there are any easy or obvious answers.

For Teams charged with reviewing neuropsychological reports of course, there are two basic parts to the conversation. First, what does the report say? Second, how do the results translate into eligibility, services, and/or placement for a given student?

If there's a tension between special education and neuropsychology, I think "ground zero" is at the IEP Team meeting table. If you're ever looking for a front row seat on how this tension gets played out, I don't know of a better place to see it. Or feel it. 

I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Karen Postal, neuropychologist and author of the book, Feedback That Sticks: The Art of Effectively Communicating Neuropsychological Assessment Results. We spoke, among other topics, about effective strategies for discussing neuropsychological assessment results at Team meetings. 

Here is the link the audio interview if you'd like to give it a listen: www.speducated.com/feedback


After you listen to the interview, please consider posting a comment below to share your thoughts and experiences. You never know who you may help in the process!


Christie C. White, M.Ed. is a parent advocate who writes a special education blog for the parents & caregivers of young children in Massachusetts at speducated.com.