tkdkidsmom Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I am not sure how to tell him about the eval. The psychologist he has been seeing suggested a psych eval and then an ot eval of fine motor and sensory processing. He has never had any testing so I don't know what to expect or how to prepare him. This is all very new for us so any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkpalaska Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I thought taking my son in for his initial diagnostic testing (then 7 yo) would be a huge issue: hates new things, always been homeschooled, never worked with anyone he didn't already know, hadn't done any therapy at that point. I wish I could remember exactly what I said beforehand, but it ended up being no big deal - he was very cooperative with the neuropsychologist for a total of 5 hours or so of testing. My ds' only concerns were making sure I was going to be there the whole time, and that he could see me when he needed to. I know I made it low-key: a nice person is going to talk to you about things similar to what we do in school, ask some questions and play some games. And the all-important, "We'll go to McDonald's afterwards!" :001_smile: Since your son already sees a psychologist, perhaps you could cast it as an extension what he already does? That the psych wants to figure out how to make things as easy as possible for him, and so needs these nice folks to talk to him, play some games, etc.? I hope it all goes well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 My dd had done the WJIII testing with a tester earlier this summer, so I told her it would be like that, which it was. They did some math, some reading, some writing, played games, did something on the computer. It was just really no big deal. She was very, very tired after the first day, so we didn't do anything wild, just came home and made cookies. The next day was lighter and less taxing, so afterward we shopped and did things she enjoys. Unless he has issues with transitions, anxiety, or new people, it will be more stressful for you than him. The one thing Michele pre-warned me about to tell dd about was the poker face. The psych will basically wear a poker face the whole time. She got him to smile when she defined "pest" as *her brother*, but other than that he never broke. He never acted his normal jolly self until AFTER the testing was over. So if that will be noticeable to him, you could mention it. OT was totally different. The OT eval was *fun*. In fact OT itself is basically fun. So don't even sweat it. For us it was sort of this psychological, spiritual opening, because we finally had explanations for some of the weird things we were seeing. I got a lot of feedback during the eval, but I'm not sure that's the norm. In any case, it was fun and felt good to her, though it left her tired afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdkidsmom Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thank you for the encouragement. I will try to keep everything low key, as ds does not like change or new people. I was told it will just be a question/answer type evaluation with the psychiatrist. There are no games or specific subjects that I'm aware of. It is only a couple of hours for the appointment - divided between parents/child/family. A week or so before the "evaluation" appointment my husband and I are doing an "in-take" assessment. If that makes any sense. We started off with the psychologist due to persistant stomachaches with no physical cause. Stress and anxiety seemed to be the culprit, but now meltdowns and anger (at me and himself) are in the mix. Not knowing how to help him is MY biggest stressor. Thanks for letting me vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I recall telling my son that therapists were similar to drs in that their job was to give a sort of check up to see how we were doing and then we were going to go see them and do lots of fun stuff and it would help us with some of the things we had a hard time with. My ds seemed to need to know what their job was and why he was there. He likes knowing that the OT's job is to help him with jumping and skipping and handwriting and tying his shoes and doing things with his hands etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) --- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pioneergirl Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Had to do this with my 12y/o son last month and I too was unsure how to bring it all up, especially because he could kind of go into a mood when he hears something he doesn't want to hear/do. I didn't want him to think I was doing it because something was "wrong" with him. However, he's been in GT programs and therefore been in test situations before, but not for this length of time or in this type of setting. The psychologist also asked me if I'd talked to him about it -- "a little bit".. I told my son that I was taking him to someone who was going to give him tests similar to those he's taken in past at school along with some other tasks, ask questions because we (his parents) wanted to make sure he had all the necessary support needed for school & such. It didn't go over really well. He was timid going in there. I told him I'd be back in a few hours for lunch. I took him to a special lunch that day; he was fine and happy when I picked him up though and after the second half of the testing was finished I took him out for ice cream. That part was really good! NOW, my other friend recently took her boy in for a psych eval and the Doctor there responded to her son's question (he's 10) of "why am I here?" with a better explanation (in my opinion). The Dr. said to him "We are going to map your brain". I never thought of it that way - just seeing how his brain works/learns. Good luck to you! I think it's harder on us parents....It was harder for me to discuss the test results with my son - sorry to say. I had tried at least 3 times and he just wasn't open to hearing anything and finally I had a family dr. kind of explain some of the "findings" and my son cried....my son's situation involves taking some medication and explaining why. This is all really hard, even just the littlest thing, you just want to do what's best for your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Ooo, I love it! Mapping the brain! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdkidsmom Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 Yes, I think I can use the "mapping your brain" for his evaluations. I am not as stressed about the ot one because I think I have a better understanding of what happens because my sister in an ot. The psychiatrist however, that is brand new territory. I have never posted on this forum before, thank you all for sharing. I know this is hard stuff, but hearing from others who have btdt really helps. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 It only occurred to me in retrospect that some of us were talking psychologists and some psychiatrists. In any case, they're experienced handling the kids and find ways to make it comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I just told my kids that all kids have to do these sort of tests from time to time.. Which is true.. All kids take tests! Just not necessarily with a psych doc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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