Explain the reasoning to your child:

 In a nutshell, the purpose of an assessment is to “learn about how you learn” so that:

➔    Teachers know how to teach you

➔    Parents know how to support you

➔    You know how to advocate for yourself

For example: “I’ve noticed you’re working hard at ____ this year, but it still seems pretty tough, and I’m not sure why. I’ve been thinking that if we knew more about how you learn best, your teachers and I could do a better job helping you. Last week, we met with someone who can help us find a way to make school easier for you and figure out what we can do differently at home.”

Describe the testing process to your child:

When your child comes in, we will do different activities to help me understand how they work with different types of information.  We will do puzzles, play word games, chat about what they like to do, and try to figure out why hard things are hard.

For young children, it may be important to let them know that I am a “different kind of doctor” who helps them learn about their brains. They are not sick, and there is nothing wrong with them—also, no shots!

Older children may feel assured that this is a confidential process focused on finding solutions. Their input is extremely important in determining what will be most helpful for them.

Explaining the process may sound something like:

★     The psychologist will do different activities with you to figure out how you learn best, where your strengths are, and why some things are more challenging right now. Some will be fun, some will be easy, and some will challenge you. Your job is to do your best, and if something is tricky, let the psychologist know so you can work together to figure out why!

Ask for your child’s input:

Your child is encouraged to ask their assessment questions.  This helps me know what is important to them and gets them more invested in the process.

Kids may need time to mull it over and get their thoughts together, so don’t be afraid to ask a few times.  This may sound something like:

★     There are things I’d like to know to help me support you better, but I’m wondering what you’d like to know about your brain.  If you can’t think of anything right now, that’s ok.  I’ll ask you again later, and we can try to write a list together.  That will ensure that your work with the psychologist is as helpful to you as possible.   

Do you still have more questions?

Don't hesitate to contact us before your assessment, and we will offer you additional strategies to help the testing process go as smoothly as possible.