Medical confidentially getting in the way

[TerryB]

Has anybody had trouble getting to view the teacher's questionnaire results? I really think this psychological record confidentiality crap is going a little to far when an 8 year's parents can't look at the Connors questionnaire. I always feel that the more that I know about my kid's brain, the more that I can help her. If I ever do this questionnaire again, I will ask for the teacher to provide me with a copy before it gets sent to the doctor.

Terry

[dmom32002]

I don't remember seeing one. But I do know
that the results should be compared for the
reports.

donan

[sportsmom]

I didn't have any problem comparing my questionnaire to the teachers---in fact the psychologist is the one who showed me what I marked compared to what ds teachers marked and all 3 of us had pretty much the same answers. You should be able to see your sons questionnaire after all you are his guardian and that should be reason enough!

[Mayleng]

I think you should be able to see a copy of the teachers report. After all, it is your child you are talking about and you paid for the neuropsych. The teacher sent me his report for forwarding to our neuropysch.

After all whatever the teachers writes about your child is kept in her school records which YOU are entitled to get a copy of, so i don't understand your psych's logic about confidentiality especially when it pertains to your child. You are paying for this, you are entitled to know. I think the psych is full of BS. By her logic, she shouldn't be giving you the results of the tests after all it is confidential.

I would insist on seeing what the teacher's input is. You need to see how your child is doing in school, so keeping this from you is ridiculous to say the least. Who is the psych working for you or the school?

[TerryB]

I don't think that I will have any trouble viewing the questionnaire. I just won't be able to get a copy. I know that you can't get a specialist's note's from your primary provider. It may be a similar situation.
Very annoying. Maybe I am just too obsessive in wanting a copy.
Terry

[d]

I don't think you're obsessive b/c that would confirm I am.

I asked the teacher to return her stuff to me b/c I'd throw it in at the same time with all the stuff we had to fill out. Teacher had two scales to do, we seemed to have more. Anyway, by the way the school forms were kinda violated I know that the school opened the forms up and made copies of them before giving back to me. I of course was dying to read their forms before submitting to the neuropsych.

Also, our teacher filled out the scales 2 months in to the year. It usually takes teachers until November to really get to know all their kids. Our teacher remarked on that when she returned the forms.

[swmom]

For some reason, we didn't have any trouble with this at all. I dropped off the forms to the teachers, they filled them out and handed them back to me. I read them and found the differences in their answers and the differences in my husband's and mine very interesting. All in all though, it was clear that my dd had lots of the ADHD behaviors. Never knew any of that stuff was supposed to be filled out and returned confidentially.

[d]

Ours came with self-addressed stamped envelopes to go directly back to the neuropsych so no one had to feel guarded about their responses.

I was dying to see what the teacher's stuff said so managed to not give her the envelope. I offered it to her b/c I didn't want her to feel compromised in her responses but said I had so much stuff to fill out, I'd put everything together in one envelope if she wanted. She was fine with that.

But I swear that school has a xerox of her answers in dd's file.

[Mayleng]

Well, Terry if you want a copy, and if as d says they probably have to make a copy for the school file, you could request to look at your daughter's school file and make a copy.

Or just ask the teacher if she could give you a copy, tell her you need to give a copy for the Peds (who did not get a copy) if you have to. Make up some pausible excuse.

Or when you see the Neuropsych, ask that you compare your input and the teachers, and you can write down point by point the differences between the 2. That should give you an idea if there is any discrepancies from what you are seeing and what the teacher sees in class. Bottomline is for you to see if you agree with what the teacher is saying about your child.

[TerryB]

I didn't even think of the school having a copy since I did the neuropsych. eval on my own. I'll ask the teacher. We're on good terms with her at this point.
Terry

[eaccae]

As far as I know in this country you are allowed access and copies to ALL of your own medical files or those under your guardianship. You may not be able to get a copy from your primary physician because they probably will never have a copy - just the final report. I would request a copy from the neuropsych. I know that in CT the state laws make it a pain for doctors to share info with each other - lots of red tape and forms to be filled out by the patient, etc. - I usually end up getting copies from the specialist to send to my primary docter, and vice versa - per their request because of all the red tape and it takes a long time. But I have NEVER had anyone refuse to give me a copy of any records that I have ever requested (and I request them all). I know that my son's school records do NOT contain a copy of the info DS's teacher sent in to the neuropsych - she didn't make copies or put in in his file so I got them from the neuropsych's office. I think that would be your best bet.

[Mayleng]

eaccae, the neuropsych is the one who refused to give Terry a copy of the Connors filled by the teacher.

[mattandchris]

I guess I should feel lucky that we had no problems. The teachers actually gave me their questionaire and I delivered them to the psychologist myself. I never thought to make copies- I kind of wished I had.

[eaccae]

Sorry - I didn't realize that it was your neuropsych that wouldn't give you the copies.

Our neurospch also didn't have the teacher's info go "through" us - probably because he didn't want our info possibly tainted by what the teacher filled out? It made sense to me. I remember having to write and sign letters all they way around though - so that the school psychologist could talk to the neuropsych, the neuropsych could talk to the school, etc. There may have been one in there for getting copies of what the teacher filled out. (I don't know if it is a state thing or federal but in CT my doctor cannot even confirm that I am a patient or that he even knows me even if a specialist that is also my doctor calls up for any info . . .) There are a lot of new (being the last 4 years or so) confidentiality clauses that actually do tie the hands of a lot of doctors . . . they are ultimately there to protect the patient but generate a lot of red tape!

I would talk to the teacher and let her know you are trying to gather together everything for your own file for future reference, etc. ***Maybe your teacher would be willing to sign a letter to the neuropsych stating that it was okay for you to have a copy of the scale. It think this is your best bet!

(- but chances are - if this is a private eval that is NOT done by the school - there will not be a copy in the school records. If it is not requested by the school I don't know if they CAN put in your child's records.) We had the eval done privately and the neuropsych gave me a packet for the teacher to fill out and send directly to him. No copies were made for school records - I think that would have been illegal.