Some questions...
1- Is the testing being done through the school? If not, has the tester spoken to the teachers to get their take on your child and to see work samples? Diagnosing an LD is much more than just looking for score patterns, it's understanding the whole child and the context in which the instruction and learning is taking place.
2- Did the tester do the IQ *and* achievement testing back to back on the same day? If there wasn't a significant break (ex- 1 hour lunch and "recess" break) in between, it's possible the lower achievement scores are more a reflection of your child's fatigue than anything else.
It's important to remember that per guidelines set out in IDEA (the federal law that governs special education), an LD cannot be diagnosed if appropriate instruction hasn't occured. Phonics instruction usually happens between K-2nd grades. Even with a gifted child, it's not appropriate to diagnose an LD at the end of Kindergarten if the child is actually reading and comprehending but having difficulty with phonics skills that haven't actually been taught yet.
Good luck with getting to the bottom of all this.
A.
