Which assessment should we have done

[puzzlesmom]

I need some advice about my DD. DD is in 1st grade and will be 7 in the spring.  Her current IEP is under developmental delay.  She has speech and OT services and gets help in the classroom when she needs it.  Her processing speed is slow.  She can learn, it just takes what seems like forever for her to catch on. I suspect a learning disability, possibly dyslexia.
The school would like to do a psychological assessment on my DD. Should we have a private neuropsychological or psychoeducational assessment done. I think a private assessment is the only way to really figure out what her issues are.
This would be part of her 3 year re-eval, which they are doing early because she is having difficulty in 1st grade.

[auntie]

Probably both.

The school one is mandated under IDEA so you can't opt out and keep an IEP but may not be as reliable as one obtained privately for a couple of reasons. Often the "school psychologist" is a masters level individual who is not really a psychologist and isn't as qualified as a clinical neuropsychologist or psychologist. Schools don't always have the licensing rights to the sort of evaluation materials needed to tease out specific learning disabilities.

I did the private eval at the clinic branch of a special reading school; the testing was done by a specially trained Orton Gillingham teacher and reviewed by a neurologist. We were fortunate to have it partially covered by insurance, but that's kind of unusual these days. Currently this testing costs $6000 but you might find it more reasonable at a pediatric teaching hospital.

I found having the private one useful because it was hard for the school's team to refute it. Plus the specific scales and tests gave very specific information.

[agedsubaru]

We have done a variety. Look around your area for someone people like. We have been to a big well respected academic shop. Decent data but they refuse to recommend specific academic programs. Our school system is okay. We are trying out a neuropsych private this go around. We recently had an educational for our own reasons.

If you are looking for dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities, definitely do private. Your school district could be less hostile than some with SLDs but your own data could provide nuances that the school didn't pick up on.

[puzzlesmom]

Update

We did the private psychoeducational eval.  Due to possible hypoxia at birth, she has damage to the white matter in her brain. Secondary diagnoses were adhd- inattentive and developmental coordination disorder.  Her processing speed is slower, but we were aware of that already.  Schools eval was similar, but they didn't see any signs of adhd inattentive.  ADHD inattentive and ADHD hyperactive run in the family and I can see the ADHD inattentive at home.  Guessing it may not be much of an issue now at school, but will be an issue as she gets older.
I was kinda hoping for a diagnosis where there was more of a path of where to go and what to potentially expect.  I'm figuring out a path, but the unknown ahead is scary. 
She was getting help in math and reading at school, but now is receiving more intensive services in those areas. 
You can tell there may be something different about her, but she is getting by for now and doesn't seem to be that different from her classmates.  Her social skills are ok, but an area that needs work. 

When it rains, it pours evidently.  DS, who is 4, has sensory processing issues.  Pediatrician doesn't think he is autistic, but wants him to see a developmental pediatrician.   4 month wait to see one. 
He goes to half day preschool thru the town and has an iep for speech.  We just had his annual meeting and added OT for fine motor and sensory.  He's driving his teacher crazy with his predictable unpredictivness.  He can function fine one day and the next day be a mess and unable to transition in the classroom.

[funchicken]

puzzlesmom, I'm sorry. The waiting sucks. We have a diagnosis from the school psych for DD1, and DH and I are discussing whether we want to try to find a new developmental pedi since we're not to thrilled with the one who failed to diagnose DD for years. But the thought of dealing with the waitlists again is so depressing. OT was great for DD--I hope it helps your DS. The OT might be able to give his preschool teacher some things that would help him in the classroom.