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.

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.