Any Ed Psych's out there or anyone else who has been through the process

[paranoid2]

My Ds is having an assessment this Friday.His concentration is his most significant issue. He has traits of ADD and has some motor issues although significant improvement has been made in the motor skills area. I am terrified of the assessment and the outcome. I know its probably a silly question but how do EP's establish a childs true ability and set aside inattentiveness. I am just scared that at the end of a 2 to 3 hour session Ds just wont perform anything like he will have done at the outset. For example how does an EP correctly assess 2 children with similiar IQ and give them the same score if 1 has ADD and the other doesntt? i know the inattentiveness is the main thing and the issue that he needs help with. However i just want her to be able to see that he is capable of more when hes not under pressure to perform. its the first assessment that hes ever had when I'm not there and I think that makes it worse

My son was assessed just over a year ago, at the time he was not quite 7 years old and I worried that he wouldn't 'play along' and comply with the tests he was asked to do.

The Ed Psych sent the school and us a form to fill in, the school gace details of his general level of skills and ability in school as well as behavioural issues.

The Ed psych tested ds for 1.5 2 hours, and we then had an hours chat at the end, when he asked me lots of questions about ds's behaviour. In the end we were given a dx of dyspraxia.

What the ed psych looks for in many cases is a miss match between different measurement of ability. So my son tested as average for IQ, and reading, but significantly below average for pen skills. His 3d abilities were that of a 14 year old!

So they are looking at overall patterns t=rather than simple IQ tests IME

thanks MB. DS is 7 the day before the assessment. The party is the day of the assessment so it will be a nice release for him. he is ok on a 1 to 1 basis but I know he will struggle half way through. however assessment is in school so plenty of input from teachers i guess

My son was tested at 6 and then again at 10. The first test was so significantly affected by his lack of convcentration and the fact that he walked round the room while answering questions that the result was inconclusive.

However, the second test the Ed. Psych took lots of breaks and he was more mature. Still there was such a significant difference between his verbal/cognitive IQ and the practical side that he could not average out the two to give an overall IQ because it would be inaccurate.

The report broke the figures down and even referred to the affect of his impulsiveness on the results, in that when he thought about it he knew the answer, but was prone to saying the first thing that came into his head.

Sorry, I have rambled on a bit, but what I'm trying to say is that Ed. Psychs are used to dealing with this type of child and they will try and get the most accurate picture of them they they can.

Thats exactly what I am woriied about LMOTT, the fact that he will give answers without thinking about it. He does need time to think about things especially maths, and is inclined to guess things before thinking the question through. However I suppose as you say she will pick up on that. I also thought it would have been a good idea to spread a test for those children who are innatentive over 2 sessions but i suppose it all comes down to resources. thanks for your response

TBH the Ed psych needs to see how he aswers the questions as well as seeling what answers he gives IYSWIM.

He or she will be able to see the impulsivity and how it is affecting your son.

It think that this is probably more important than your son having a chance to get the answers right, because it is a ore accurate reflection of how he is performing in the classroom setting

Yes, I know its important for her to see the inattentivess because thats whats causing the problem. I suppose i just want her to be able to see the 2 sides of him, ie he does know stuff but doesnt always show it well.However i know the latter is a bit selfish of me as quite clearly in the classroom setting he needs to be able to show it. Just am sick with worrying about what she is going to say

The point of the assessment is to see what difficulties are holding him back in showing his true abilities in the classroom situation. Once these have been highlighted a plan of action can be established in order to help your son overcome them.

My son is now 13. But after his first assessment at 6 one of his targets was to remain on task for 5 minutes! He would fiddle with anything on the table and regularly fall off the chair. Learning to write was a nightmare. Alot of this type of difficulty improves with age and maturity, although I have to say his writing (legibility and stamina) are still not good.

They are not really assessing him to see whether he knows the stuff but in order to try to help him achieve his true potential.

Oh yes, the 5 minute task . DS has had this too and his fiddling is second to none!
I would love to see a report just outlining what his difficulties are and an action plan to resolve them but i have seen 2 EP reports recently, one of a child with similiar issues and the other with other difficulties. Both were very specific about the tests performed during the assessment, ie X has high levels of average intellegence as demonstrated by Y test, reading age of w etc etc and lots more results of various tests. Both were private assessments so perhaps action plans were not as relevant, just recommendations that the schools support the children. Its this type of report that I am dreading , with a pile of results which i probably need to know about but dont want to face it really. Both your posts have helped though in making me see whats important, ie getting him the help he needs