What I have experienced is that IQ scores do change if children are tested from a very young age. I have a friend with three very smart children. They walked, spoke, and acted pretty average throughout babyhood. Beginning at age two, she began teaching her children how to read, count, etc. Beginning with the oldest, his IQ was tested at age 5, where he tested at 140. By five his math and reading ability were at a second grade level. He began regular school, because the gifted program began at grade three. When he was tested at age 8, His IQ was only 116, which did not allow him to qualify for the gifted program. Due to the fact that she maintained him advanced academically by teaching him at home in addition to school, his achievement scores were at the 99th percentile, so she was able to advocate for her son to the point were an exception was made and he was accepted into the gifted program.
The next child, began a stronger regimen of academics at two, and tested at 140 at four. With these numbers, my friend placed her daughter in a private kindergarten (since public school wouldn't accept her at 4). At five she placed her daughter in first grade in public school. When the child was eight and tested for the gifted program, her IQ was 110. Due to the fact that she was advanced academically, 99% achievement scores, etc. She was allowed in the gifted program.
For the last child, she wasn't even tested. She placed her in private kindergarten at 3 1/2, where she did k, 1st grade, then placed her in public school at age 5, with a grade skip (grade 1 again for the child), and now the child is happily placed in the gifted program, with testing waived.
My point is that the kids tested so highly at a young age because they had been taught what they would be tested in, and later received the enrichment of gifted children, which has resulted in very high achievement (so far, the oldest is in college).
IQ numbers can be greatly affected if a child is an early reader, and some may argue that early readers have a high IQ, but coincidentally, almost everyone I know (30+ kids) is reading by age 4. I don't think they're all gifted, but I think its the academic achievement culture that I am around with. I'm pretty sure that if all these kids were given IQ tests they would all test highly gifted and above, yet I don't believe they all are. What are the odds that so many gifted kids would be concentrated in an area/ethnic group?
Anyway, if some of these kids are not placed in the gifted program, and some are, in the long run they will have very different achievement, but all these kids IQ's probably hover around 115.
In my experience, I'm actually uncomfortable with having my children's IQ tested, since my first child did test 145 at age 4, when he attended a preschool for gifted children, but later tested 130 at age 7. I believe his high score was due to his early reading ability, love of puzzles and advanced math skills. With my other children I happen to homeschool, so there's no need for IQ testing.
