Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Big Discrepancy in Siblings' IQ Scores

Maybe he is a Visual Spatial Learner (google VSL, Linda Silverman has a ton on this topic). That could be a strong preference for him, even if it is not a super strength.

I have a similar situation. My oldest was stereotypical, early developing HG+ kid. Her younger brother talked and walked much later, didn't read while he was still in diapers and generally seemed like a more 'normal' developing child. Definitely bright, but nothing too far out of the norm (which was fine with me).

As he got older, I noticed that he seemed to grasp really abstract concepts and that he was fiercely curious about the world around him, but in a hands-on kind of way, where as his older sis was more passive and bookish. We had him tested as a 4 year old to see if he would qualify for the gifted program his sis attends and got fairly average scores. I had him tested this past spring by a 2e specialist and got much, much higher scores, quite a few of them at the ceiling of the test. One of his processing subtest scores was in the 5th percentile, so there was quite a scatter.

He has the same tracking insufficiency problem that your son was diagnosed with. The tester also suspects ADHD and dyslexia. He is definitely gifted.

My recommendation, find a psych that is familiar with gifted and 2e kids. It is tricky to test kids who are only HG. When you add LDs into the mix, it can be really difficult to get an accurate score.

Thank you for making me feel like I'm not crazy!

It's been 3.5 years since his first WISC test and ever since then I've been questioning it and wondering about the possibility of being 2E, but I've been afraid to retest in case we find out that he's "just" ND. How sad am I? Wrong though it is, the first test results were so different from what we were expecting that it really threw us for a loop. Yet, I mostly just have this gut-feeling that there's something more going on and that he just needs our help.

When someone is diagnosed with a LD, are there specific things that can be done to improve things, or does it just help to know that there is a medical reason behind certain problems?

Thank you for giving me such a safe place to ask questions.

hi mnmom23,
you are not crazy, and he could well be gifted. Did they give you all the subtest scores- (sorry if i missed it).. That 106 could be a poor representation of him. My DS7 first took an SB-5 at a university as part of a study when he was 4.. they gave me a score of 101 which at the time i was thrilled about because at that point we still thought he had autism (wrong diagnosis)..But we never got any subtest scores back then..

Then this year at age 7 he takes the WISC and gets "18s" and "19s" on a lot of subtests and gets a miserable "4" (2nd percentile!) on coding/processing speed and wow it is just such an eye-opener. I know now why he is so frustrated..And YES, it really helped us to get the LD recognized.. He now gets more time on tests (including state tests) and also more time to do math worksheets.. which is a great boost to his self-confidance.. Having so much "unfinished work" really got to him..
good luck
irene

No you are not crazy. Parents are usually pretty astute about their children's abilities. I think it would be fine if my DS was of average intelligence. This whole gifted thing is kind of a mixed bag anyway, if you ask me. But I could tell that DS was brighter than his sister in some ways. He is my philosophically gifted child, the one who is not afraid to ask the big questions. He was also really, really frustrated with himself and the world because there are so many things he does at below age level. I am probably 2e, too. I characterize myself as having all the quirks and intensities of the highly gifted and none of the actual abilities. Which isn't all together true, but on a lot of days it feels like it. Kinda like I got the worst of both worlds.

Yes you can get specific help and yes it helps to know the reasons behind a certain problem. Find a good psych who works with gifted and LD kids regularly. To warn you ahead, even a good psych may not be able to get an accurate IQ number with a 2e kid, but they will be able to tell you that they feel that the number is not representative of the child's true abilities due to the LD instead of writing the kid off. They also likely do additional tests to give you an idea of where you should seek help if it is an LD. Good luck!

I completely second the visual spatial idea. I am a huge v/s person and so is my DH and DS. If you tell me to do x, y then z. I won't make it past x. I might not even find x on the page. Now if you show me z and tell me to get there, I am done in no time. I noticed that "teaching" my son anything is painful. Show him what he needs to know, give him the material and walk away and he has it mastered. Perhaps you could "test" that out on your son? I also second the sensory issues. I pmd you on this one. I don't know what it is but I swear deep thinkers and inability to verbalize what's up there in your head go hand-in-hand and don't even ask us to translate it onto paper. Oh boy!

hkc75,

Dumb question: how do I get the pm you sent?

Try this reading aide:

http://catalog.thechalkboardcatalog.com/big_reading_guide_strips_red-p-185968.html

It's 1.99 and comes in different colors.

My DD had therapy for visual discrimination and figure ground and it helps her when she is reading.

Neato

There is a flashing red envelope up on top of this row near My Stuff.

Okay -- I see the red flashing envelope. When I click on it I get the option of clicking on New Private Message. When I click on that I get a screen that allows me to write a new message, but I don't see any way to see a message to me. Help!