Neuropsych Appt

[Anonymous]

My son (age 8) has a neuropsych exam on Tuesday for suspected ASD.

He doesn’t like new situations, so we want to prepare him a bit.

He knows that we think his brain might work a bit differently than other people’s and it isn’t right or wrong. It just is. (His older sister has ADHD (and coming to realize that DH likely has ADHD or ASD to but no testing yet) so we have had many convos about neurodiversity in our house.

He knows we’re going to be meeting with a special doctor who knows a lot about how kid’s brains work, that we will be there most of the day, we know he is struggling with some stuff, and that this is about helping ensure he is the best [kid’s name] that he can be.

But this is our first neuropsych appt (DD had just an ADHD screening), so would love a few tips on actual logistics, what he should expect, etc.

I did not think of this until this morning, and the office is closed to call them.

Any general experiences people can share?

[Anonymous]

My son was 11 when we did his neuropsych evaluation, so it may be slightly different.

We checked in, and he went with the Dr, my husband and I were told we had a few hours so we went for a walk.

My son did a bunch of puzzle type games, thinking exercises, the Rorschach test (at least he said he did), and talked with the evaluator about different things. It was done over two mornings, the Dr said she didn’t like to do them in one day because it can be tiring.

I think he did an IQ test, but none of these exercises are pass/fail - they just measure how the brain works. We told our son we were really proud of him for doing it, and for participating because it matters that we’re able to learn these things about him.

[Anonymous]

Bring snacks. They get a few breaks. One thing though is that it’s good for them to see how difficult unfamiliar situations are for him. They should be very used to that.

[Anonymous]

Do a test drive and show him the building! Even if you can't go in show him pics from the website once you get to the door!

[Anonymous]

The tests are just to see how a person processes information. Answers aren't necessarily “right” or “wrong” on a lot of them. Let him know that the tests don’t just identify issues; they also identify strengths.

[Anonymous]

Good tips. Thanks, everyone.

[Anonymous]

We did first neuropsych when DS was 5. We told him he’d be playing a bunch of games and doing puzzles to see how his brain works. We let him know we wouldn’t be in the room but would be right outside. He could bring a snack in case he got hungry and use the bathroom whenever he needed it. We told him to have fun and do his best and that these games would help us understand how his brain works best so we (and his teachers) can help him learn in the best way possible. DS thought it was fun. Good luck op.

[Anonymous]

The website might have pictures of the office. Our kid likes to look up new places on satellite view. It's a lot games and the people are friendly. Often times they have a toy. We let out kid pick the lunch during lunch break and that helped have some control.