Britney due in court

Britney Spears is scheduled to attend a child-custody hearing today, exactly three months since she slipped away from a psychiatric ward, stirring up a paparazzi car chase.

The troubled 26-year-old pop star, who has been under the care of her father since her one-week-early release from UCLA Medical Center, is expected to attend the custody status hearing in a downtown courthouse with her parents.

Her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, will also attend, said his spokesman, Elliot Mintz.

Federline has had full custody of his two sons by Spears, two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James, since January, when police were called to Spears' home after she refused to relinquish one of the boys to a Federline bodyguard.

Spears was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the incident. Her visitation rights were suspended at the time, but have been gradually restored in recent months.

Today's hearing will include discussion of a psychiatrist's evaluation of Spears.

Commissioner Scott Gordon, who will preside over the hearing, could modify the couple's visitation agreement based on Spears' recent conduct.

Spears had been a constant media presence. Photographers captured her every visit to Starbucks and gas stations around Los Angeles, and documented a bout of bizarre behaviour that included appearing in public without underwear, shaving her own head and beating a car with an umbrella.

Since Spears' father, James, took over her affairs, the pop star has been relatively invisible to photographers, only occasionally snapped shopping or having dinner with her mother, Lynne.

A traffic accident last month turned out to be a minor bumper-to-bumper incident in which no one was injured, and for which no one was cited.

Spears' public appearances have been limited to a well-received guest appearance on the CBS television comedy 'How I Met Your Mother', a role she reprised during a taping last week, a CBS spokeswoman said. The episode will be broadcast on May 12.

"We're thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," series executive producer and co-creator Craig Thomas said in a statement last month. The show's audience increased by a million viewers the week Spears appeared.

The pop star also made news last month when she took on full-time exercise and nutrition coaches from Bally Total Fitness.

Once known for her flawless figure, Spears was widely ridiculed in September during a universally panned performance on the MTV Video Music Awards that was meant to herald her comeback.

Spears has been elusive at recent court hearings, her every anticipated appearance drawing a circus of media and paparazzi.

In January, she arrived at the courthouse wearing cocktail-party attire - a black minidress and gold platform shoes - and left before the custody hearing began.

A lawyer for Federline said that behaviour may have played a role in the commissioner's decision that she remain barred from seeing her sons.

Federline has allowed Spears limited visitation rights since February 22.