Once you have done your preliminary work, and decided that testing is the child’s best option, you approach your school psychologist or principal. Usually a decision is made between the three of you as to whether a child needs a full-scale assessment.
Your school psychologist would then carry out a psycho-educational assessment, normally made up of (a) tests measuring children’s learning problems, intelligence, speech and language functioning, perceptual-motor ability (how well children receive information in their brains and express it in movement); (b) behavioral ratings and observations; and (c) parent interviews. The hyperactive child also has tests specifically designed to measure aspects of hyperactivity such as attention, impulsivity, and activity level. It is up to the psychologist to translate assessment results into teaching and management strategies that will help you, help your students, learn better.