hes seen a specialist who is sending him for tests, how will these tests be preformed?
The person administering the evaluation would hopefully be a developmental pediatrician (DP). The DP would play with the child for a little while and let the child become comfortable with their presence. This may have to be done over several visits, depending on the child. The DP would then attempt to perform several tests in different areas of development (ie. speech, play skills, imaginative skills, hearing, vision, communication, motor skills, social and emotional status). The DP would then be required to evaluate the child's total performance according to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Revision) to determine whether or not the child falls into the spectrum of austim. The DSM-V is due out in May 2013.
They will do tests where they play with the child and see how they respond to different activities and situations. The child will not even know they are being tested. = )
