What is testing like??

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Hi, I was recently told by my therapist that he believes I have Asperger's, but he wants me to undergo seven hours of testing to get a diagnosis. I'm really scared of what the testing will be like, partly because seven hours is a long time for me to be around other people in a strange place, and partly because I hate not knowing what's in store.

Can anyone give me some insight into the testing process? What can I expect? Will I be filling out questionnaires, taking tests, talking to a person...? Thanks for anything you all can offer!

All of the above, likely. I used to work as a psychometrist, so I am assuming due to the length of the "testing" that I am fairly familiar with what they will be doing. There will be some pencil and paper tasks. Some tasks where you are asked to do things. Some where you have to answer questions orally. Some where you have to try to figure things out. Some things that will seem absolutely meaningless.

When I was trained to become a psychometrist, I had to take each of the tests before I learned to administer them. None of them hurt. Some are fun. Some can be frustrating. Some just seem stupid.

One thing that might help...the person who is administering the tests will view you, not as a person, but more as a task. That is not meant to be mean or dehumanizing, but it is part of what makes a good psychometrist. You need to be able to standardize things and do things in a predictable way to maximize the applicability of the results. So, they will not be judging you. They will not think highly of you if you do well or poorly of you if you don't. After it is finished, they will likely not think of you at all. I hope you can see that my intent here is not to make you feel bad, but to give you a sense of anonymity so that you don't feel self-conscious.

Also, it might help you to realize that the result of any given test or any specific task or question will not seal your fate. It is more a pattern of responses that paint the picture. So if you mess up once, it's not a big deal. It will be counteracted by something else.

Just be yourself and do your best.