My 8 year old girl is being tested for ADHD in a couple of weeks by a psychologist. They tell me that the testing will take 3 different appointments - each one a week apart - to complete and that each appointment will be 50 minutes long. What exactly goes on during the testing? How is she tested for ADHD?

Thanks.

First, welcome. Know that you are not alone, nor is your daughter. The most standard tests are a personality based perceptions test (DMV-IV) which you can even view online if you do a query (the site says tests for fun & educational purposes only). There are also a battery of neurological tests that they could conduct.

Because this is your first experience with testing, I strongly encourage you to contact the Dr's office immediately and ask, specifically, what tests will be conducted and what the set-up will be. Both you and your daughter will find this a less traumatic experience if you know what to expect. (I'm assuming that your daughter has already had a full physical medical work-up to determine if there are physical causes for the ADD symptoms.)

There's a great article I always refer to that is very helpful. The link is:

http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19970501-000030.html

I remember I had to fill out forms on him, behavior and such, the teacher had another form to fill out. Then the testing on him. It was some computer tests, some play tests, some tests where he to write and some where they asked him questions. Our results came back ADHD. Good luck to you.