How to Prepare my Child for a Psychological Assessment

The idea of taking your child to a psychological assessment can be scary or nerve racking. Your child will be undergoing something that is not a part of their normal routine. Naturally parents will be unsure how their child will react. Your child will be undergoing psychological tests used to analyze the mental process of their educational performance.

To prepare your child for one of these psychological evaluations, try out these tips!

Maintain their regular schedule.

Try not to stray from their regular schedule before the testing day. Make sure they eat a good meal prior to going to the test, this way they feel well-rested.

Come prepared.

Feel free to bring small toys to ensure your child feels comfortable. Try to avoid toys that may cause them to become distracted. Also you can bring snacks or a drink for your child to help them maintain energy throughout their test. 

Avoid the word “test.”

When speaking with your child do your best to avoid the word test. This may cause stress that could impact their performance during the psychological evaluation. Test is a word they hear in school. If tests are something they struggle with in school, hearing it before the evaluation may remind them of that. They may wonder how they can study for it which could also affect their performance.

Avoid preparing for the evaluation.

First and foremost this will interfere with the accuracy of the test. This could lead to higher results, then leading to a higher estimation of their abilities. If this happens it could get in the way of the psychologists ability to understand what your child needs. Also could result in a higher class placement that may be too difficult for your child at this point in time.

Explain what’s going on.

Try giving your child a little information on what’s going on. Give the name of the psychologist your child will be seeing to make them feel more comfortable. For younger children let them know there will be toys and games that they will get to play with. As for children who are school-aged use school to explain what they will be doing. Tell them they will be doing activities that could involve listening, talking, looking at pictures, building things, and drawing. The children will then have insight on what’s going on without the stress of the evaluation being a test.

Sources:

https://www.strengthsandsolutions.com/therapy-and-psychological-assessment-resources/preparing-your-child-for-psychological-assessment

http://wernerchildpsychology.com/?page_id=57

https://dynamics-psychology.sg/how-can-i-prepare-my-child-for-an-assessment.html