How to Prepare for an ADHD Assessment
Are you getting ready for your child’s ADHD assessment? Are you wondering how to prepare for your child’s psychological evaluation/testing? Maybe you are getting ready for your own assessment? In either case, you may have questions about the best ways to prepare for an ADHD assessment.
Below, we take a look at the top tips to prepare for your child’s ADHD assessment as well as how to prepare for an adult assessment.
Tips to Prepare for Your Child for an ADHD Assessment
You can help your child prepare for his or her ADHD assessment by:
- Providing a good meal beforehand (protein and fiber can help little tummies feel full)
- Help your child get to bed early and get plenty of rest in the days leading up to the assessment (Refer to this article for good bedtime routine ideas)
- Dressing your child in comfortable clothes
- Bring a water and snack for the break (your child can bring their water into the testing room)
- Schedule testing period during time of day when your child is most attentive, if possible
- Help create a low-stress/low-anxiety environment before testing that day, if possible
- Plan a small reward afterward, if possible
What to expect
Know that testing may be broken up into two days depending on your child’s needs. Kayla Sheeran, our licensed psychological associate, explains more about the psychological testing process:
“Psych testing will consist of an interview with parent(s) at the beginning of the session [to cover background/overview of presenting issues]. This is followed by a testing period with administrator and child.
Not all testing looks the same…
Sometimes take-home testing materials are sent home for child, parents, and a teacher to complete and return; sometimes another day of in-person testing will need to be scheduled in order to complete all required testing sections. This will depend on the needs, attention span, and the testing purpose.
~Kayla Sheeran
While the evaluation is ongoing, feel free to bring something to do while you wait. A book, phone, or tablet is great, but bring a charger if you use a device since testing will take multiple hours.
Tips to Prepare for an Adult ADHD Assessment
Many of the same preparation tips apply to adults as well! Here at NextStep4ADHD, Kayla Sheeran performs ADHDH assessments for adults as part of the ADHD clinic and programs. Kayla shares these tips for preparing for your assessment:
- Eat a good nutrient-dense meal beforehand
- Ensure you have plenty of rest before your assessment
- Don’t schedule your assessment on a busy day where you will feel rushed or hurried between appointments
- Bring a water bottle
ADHD Assessment at NextStep4ADHD
Monica Clark does the ADHD assessments for children, and Kayla Sheeran conducts the ADHD assessments for adults as a part of the ADHD clinic/program.
Kayla
Kayla Sheeran is a Licensed Psychological Associate who serves as a therapist with NextStep. She has experience providing outpatient evaluations and treatment in a variety of settings, working with children, adolescents, and young adult populations. Kayla graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Asbury University. She then earned a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology at the University of Louisville.
Monica
Monica Clark is a Licensed Psychological Associate who focuses on treating children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma-related emotional struggles. Monica uses Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and trauma-focused therapy to help children and teens learn to self-regulate and have greater control over their thoughts and behaviors.
Why Get Tested
Psychological testing is usually to rule out or confirm the presence of ADHD or a Learning Disorder to determine whether the child can benefit from accommodations at school (or meet the requirements to receive school accommodations) and/or for standardized testing.
Here at Next Step 4 ADHD, we are a multidisciplinary practice, and our team of experts excels at diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. If you have questions about your ADHD assessment, we can help. Book your appointment here and get started with your next steps today.
Three Tips to Make Halloween 2022 Easier for Kids with ADHD
Halloween 2022 is here, and it is definitely one of the most exciting days of the years for kids, but unfortunately, Halloween can be a bit stimulating, especially for kids with ADHD. The excitement, the disruption to the normal schedule, and the candy overload can make the evening a little more challenging than most.
These three safety tips can help make Halloween easier for parents and kids alike!
1. Review All Safety Rules with Your Child
Halloween, despite all of the fun, is one of the most dangerous days of the year for children. US News reports highlight that the list of dangers including:
- Tripping over ill-fitting costumes
- Visual impairments due to masks or wigs
- Dangers when crossing the street
Children with ADHD may run from house to house and pay little attention to the cars driving in the road. The combination of excitement and inattention can lead to children getting separated from their trick-or-treating group.
What You Can Do
There are many things you can do to help promote safety on Halloween. Here are just a few ideas:
- Discuss all safety rules with your child before even leaving the house (your child may be too excited to fully take in your message if you start this conversation once you’ve started trick-or-treating.)
- Talk about stranger safety.
- Ensure that your child can see through his/her mask and that the costume won’t pose a tripping hazard.
- Review the trick-or-treating map with your child.
- Create a safety plan in the event that your child is separated from you.
- Give your child glow sticks or reflective arm band for increased safety when crossing the streets at night.
- Review proper street crossing rules.
2. Eating Too Much Candy
While candy doesn’t cause ADHD, consuming high levels of sugar (and generally following poor dietary habits) can exacerbate symptoms of ADHD. For children who struggle with impulse control, it can be even harder to resist the temptation of candy.
What You Can Do
Many parents have adopted creative solutions for dealing with all.of.the.candy on Halloween. Here are a few ideas:
- Allow your child to trick-or-treat and enjoy the fun tradition, but when they return home, allow them to trade in their bag of candy for non-candy treats, such as race cars, books, dolls, bouncy balls, or some other goodie they’ve had their eye on. You can then donate the candy.
- Create a candy calendar, marking out how many pieces your child can have each day.
- Limit the number of houses you visit to reduce the amount of candy you bring home.
Regardless of how many pieces of candy your child enjoys, be sure to focus on other healthy foods throughout the rest of the day.
3. Focus on Bedtime Routines
Winding down for bedtime after a fun-filled Halloween can be tricky. Because children with ADHD may struggle to regulate their emotions, you may see an uptick in temper tantrums, especially if your child is upset that Halloween is over.
What You Can Do
Thankfully, there are many ways you can make bedtime calmer on Halloween. Here are a few ideas.
- Be sure that you’re implementing good sleep hygiene practices
- Create a special bedtime routine just for Halloween e.g., reading a special Halloween book or wearing themed pajamas
- Allow extra time for your bedtime routine on Halloween
- Let your child know their schedule for the day so they have time to prepare mentally
- Give more frequent reminders when shifting activities
- Follow these tips for making Halloween more ADHD-friendly
Need Help Managing Your Child’s ADHD?
Here at Next Step 4 ADHD, we are a multidisciplinary practice, and our team of experts excels at diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. If your child is struggling with ADHD, we can help. Book your appointment here and get started with your next steps today.
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