What instrument did they use? Was it a nonverbal-only assessment, like the NNAT? (Not too many verbal IQ tests can be group-administered.) Was his individually-administered GAI slanted toward verbal? If the answers to the last two questions were both "yes", it may be that this instrument didn't pick up his area of greatest strength. Options for appealing with alternative assessment instruments?

...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...