The information given me by various professionals who have repeatedly evaluated my daughter is the biggest issue that I face in my life. In order for me to resolve my issue I need to explore whether my issue lies with the professionals and the process of evaluation, or with me not wanting to accept that my child is disabled.

My six and a half year old daughter, Malia, began to show signs of delayed development at age eighteen months. Her speech started to regress and there were also behavioral signs that were significant enough for me to ask our doctor for advice. When was not concerned to the point that I was I contacted Multnomah County Developmental Disability department and requested that they evaluate Malia. They agreed that that were delays, and made a referral to Portland Public Schools Early Intervention Program for special services such

as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other early learning resources for children with disabilities. I also switched Malia to a pediatrician who immediately referred her for a full-scale evaluation at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) where they have an evaluation clinic for children with disabilities. At this point

When the psychologist and Malia approached me afterwards, I told him that I felt as if she could have done better if the questions had been worded differently or had allowed more than one correct answer. I told him to watch, and I looked at Malia and said, "Malia, what has wheels?" She said, "A car." I asked, "What else?" She said, "A bicycle." The psychologist advised me that one question would not change the outcome of the test. It is hard for me to

Minus- the diagnosis is made based on minimal time spent with Malia, the tests are very broad, not specific to Malia, no explanation, support, or follow-up offered to parents or children, no "bedside manner"

That was all the information they gave me, other than to tell me that Malia's pediatrician would receive a report and follow-up accordingly. No special suggestions or support were offered to me or to Malia. I did not know the exact meaning of "borderline intelligence" at the time, so I assumed it meant her intelligence was not above average but not below. I found out at her second evaluation two years later that it means low intelligence, bordering on mental retardation. I followed up on the hearing loss with an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor and Malia had her tonsils and adenoids removed, her ear drums pierced and drained and "PE tubes" put in. The ENT doctor told me to expect a full recovery immediately following the surgery, including her delayed development.

I have spent the past four years being angry with the clinic at OHSU. I can truly say that all of this channeling and exercising (PMI and APC) has helped me to have a better understanding of why the testing is as it is, how it affects us, and most importantly, that a closed mouth does not get fed. If I want changes, I now understand that I have to speak up and talk to someone who can do something about it. Now that I am more clear about the process, I can offer something positive to help other families avoid the pain and anger that

The APC elicited a more thorough response from me than the PMI because it required that I spend more time on it. I came up with some of the same ideas as with the PMI exercise and a few other ideas as well. One item on my APC list was having the examiners pay more attention to the child's teacher and parent comments when diagnosing a child. This would help the examiners have a more complete understanding of the child. Another idea that I listed was to have the professional spend more time exploring the child's strengths and

Another tool de Bono refers to is Alternatives, P

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1711
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)