What advice do you have for helping a very shy child warm up to a tester or interviewer when going through the admissions process? When my daughter first meets a new adult, she rarely speaks and sometimes hides behind me. Once she gets to know someone, she can become very talkative.

I would suggest introducing her to people in your neighborhood.  Walk around town and take notice of all the different people who work in the stores, police or crossing guards and taxi drivers, (if you live in a city) introduce yourself, say a few kind words and maybe even shake their hands.  You will be modeling for your child how it is ok and SAFE to speak to people you don’t know.  Eventually start introducing your child when you do this.  Don’t force them to say hello but suggest that they do.  Perhaps bring along an outgoing sibling or friend that can also model how easy it can be or even fun.  Maybe you want to even document this by taking photos of the people you meet.  You can create a little book or journal of the people and eventually start interviewing them.  It’s a great way to work in many language skills as well as reading and writing!