How do I talk to my child about the purpose of testing and what to expect?
It’s generally a good idea to talk to your child about why they will be coming to the office and what they can expect. In the office, it will be explained to your child that everybody’s brain works differently and that they will be doing different types of activities to see how their brain works. They will be told that these activities help us to understand what they are really good at doing and what they might need some additional help with. If possible, it’s a good idea to try to avoid the word “testing” in order to minimize the amount of anxiety your child may be feeling about the process. It is recommended that you let your child know that you have already met with your psychologist. You can also let your child know that they can ask as many questions as they would like about the schedule or the activities. You can explain to your child that they will be working with their psychologist for a couple of hours but please do not tell your child a specific time testing will finish. Sometimes kids get focused on a certain time and cannot attend appropriately to testing.
Is there anything I can do to optimize my child’s scores for testing?
No. The goal of testing is to get a snapshot of what your child’s abilities are at that time. This helps to get a comprehensive picture of your child’s functioning that makes sense and can lead to helpful and accurate recommendations. Therefore, it is not necessary (and can even invalidate the results) if anything is done before the testing to specifically improve scores.
Things to Remember for Testing Day:
- Getting a good night’s sleep the night before the testing day is important
- Please try to keep your child from staying up very late, watching scary movies, having caffeine the night before, or deviating from the normal routine
- Try to have your child eat a good breakfast
- Medications should be taken as usual on the testing day unless otherwise discussed with your psychologist
- Your child can bring a water bottle and/or snacks to sustain energy throughout the morning
- Please do not bring any iPads, tablets, etc. for your child to play with. We will provide an iPad during breaks if appropriate, but there will also be toys and other activities that your child can play with during breaks, if necessary.
We look forward to working with you!