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Psychological testing is different from
other forms of assessments, such as medical
tests. It is non invasive, it can be carried out in a
playful manner and a good interviewer will adjust to a child's
temperament to obtain the most representative results. There are a
few key principles that parents should be aware of in order to make
the assessment an easy process.
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WHAT TO EXPECT ON
THE DAY OF THE ASSESSMENT?
The overall assessment
has three main components: the parent interview, the testing session
and the report as a form of feedback.
The Parent
Interview
The parent interview is the first part of the
overall assessment process. Children can be present, particularly
older children, but depending on the referral question we may
prefer if the child plays in the adjacent play room while we are
talking about him/her (note: the play room is separated by a
glass partitioning wall and we are able to monitor the child).
The purpose of the parent interview is to collect as much
information about a child's history and social/family context as
possible. Often relevant information relating to a child's
functioning emerge during the interview session and parents
can find it surprising how little details can be
important. The interview usually takes up 40 to 50 minutes.
Parents can also download the standard "Parent Interview
Form" from our resources page here
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The Testing Session
Following
the interview we administer the selected psychological tests and if
necessary and part of the referral question, we interview the child.
With very young children we may require the parent(s) to be present,
but we ask parents to be respectful of the testing process and do
not try to provide cues to the child or assist him/her. The
time involved depends on the selected tests and the child's
individual approach. For an estimation of overall testing times,
please see our fees page here.
The Report
All test data first must be
scored and interpreted. This is a delicate process as we try
to incorporate the information learned during the parent
interview with the test scores and behavioural observations.
The report is prepared separately. In every case the report
provides detailed descriptions of the relevant background
information, the assessment tools used, behavioural
observations and specific recommendations based on
the referral question. The report is written in an easily read
descriptive style to be presented to parents, other
health professionals and
teachers. |
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WHAT TO TELL YOUR
CHILD?
Parents
are often concerned about what to tell their children before
the assessment. As with most aspects of the assessment, it
depends on the purpose of the assessment and the age of
the child. With older children over 7 or 8 years,
there is no need for "white lies" and parents should
have an upfront discussion about why they would like their
child to be assessed. With younger children, particularly
around 3 - 4 years old, parents may want to tell them that
they will be doing some puzzles with a "puzzle teacher". Try
not to put too much emphasis on the testing process, the
more relaxed the children on the day of the assessment, the
more representative their results.
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