Can anyone give me an idea of what it is like being tested?

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I am going to a specialist to start the diagnostic process soon and was wondering if anyone could post here or message me to tell me what to expect. What sort of questions/tests do you have to go through? I am 31 so if anyone of a similar age can tell me about their experiences that would be especially useful. Many thanks.

It can vary, depending on where you are and the professional doing the evaluation. Most likely, they'll start you out with the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), to rule out any other possible psychoses. Its a very long multiple choice test, with a lot of questions designed basically to tell if you're sane, fairly sane, kinda paranoid or a total whackjob. Once that's out of the way and they've determined that you're not a sociopath, You'll probably be interviewed by a psychologist about your life history and relationships with people and friends and so on. Then you may get several other cool things to do, like look at ink blots and arrange little blocks to match patterns that you're shown, while the psychologist calmly watches you and makes you very nervous and stuff like that. No electrodes or anal probes or MRIs where I got tested, but others have had different experiences. There's a brain scan in the news lately that's supposed to be very accurate, so maybe they'll try that on you.

I mean others have been given MRIs, nobody's mentioned probes. Sorry if I scared you.

Sorry that I can't go into detail, but get from them -- preferably in writing -- the sort of feedback they are going to give you after you've run on whatever hamster wheel they put you on.

I spent six hours one day, and two hours another. Interviews, IQ tests, what I now know were Brandt tests, and some bizarre interactive touchscreen stuff that I guess was supposed to test coordination and/or reaction time. And before all of this I filled out at home an extensive questionnaire, which I think took me at least two hours, probably a bit longer.

Oh, yes. And they also involved my wife. She also had to do a questionnaire, and also got interviewed. I'm guessing her involvement was in the three to four hour range. Alas, she was spared the rest of it.

And the sum total of feedback I have received to this point? A letter saying that I have Asperger's and ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive). Which I knew before I started the whole guinea pig routine. I respectfully requested more information than this, which in essence told me nothing, and was given a huge run-around, some snow-job that as a research facility they didn't need to provide me with anything else, and you just run along, we've got important work to do.

Anyway, all that changed when I told them I was considering filing my state's equivalent to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a complete copy of my records. Which I'm not certain I'm even entitled to, but I've reason to believe I could get at least a good chunk of the information. (Turns out there actually are some things research facilities might not have to turn over that hospitals would, mostly related to notes from the interviews.) An interesting attitude adjustment occurred following my contemplated next step, and though I still haven't actually GOTTEN anything tangible my calls all get either answered or quickly returned.

And a meeting has been set up and we shall see what we shall see. I'm hoping they don't revert to type and actually do pass along most of the information. As in hard copies I walk out of there in hand with. And I do think I'll get what I want, but toss a coin. Hell, I seem to be terminally unemployed. I guess if I put my mind to it I can hit them at the state level, possibly the federal and definitely file complaints with the hospitals and universities associated with the place.

Nah, I really don't want to. I admit I have no life, but the prospect of going this route bores even me. Still, I guess I'd have a theme song...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVtJKErRBpI[/youtube]


But if I knew then what I know now? I'd never have done it. So that's my sob story, though we can't yet rule out a happy ending.

Nothing to be afraid of.

It just a long version of an SAT test.

Well, more than that- but not much more.

It involves interviews with you.

Interveiws with your parents and other folks in your life.

But mostly its various aptitude tests and the like involving paper and pencil.

Exhausting but interesting. Regardless of the outcome its an interesting inventory of your talents and weaknesses that anyone could benifit from knowing about.

I was the first subject he ever tested who knew the answer to the question "how long does it take light to reach Earth from the Sun?" So that was a nice feather in my cap!

They asked me questions relating to autistic symptoms.
They asked my mum to give some background on me.

I was diagnosed in less than an hour. But I was diagnosed twice. First time by a psychologist who had 4 months worth of notes on me and the second time a psychiatrist that saw me for 1 hour. The second time was the official diagnoses.

Now for ADHD I had to have an MRI, qEEG and a trial of medication.
For dyslexia I had an IQ test.

Well, the aliens have this probe thingy ...

Uh,


Never mind

It depends on who you go to. I was lucky that my first outpatient doctor(that was willing to take me as a patient) was a specialist. He was able to diagnose me based on my response to medication prescribed to me by the hospital and just talking to me over a few sessions.

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