JJsMom, After we got my DS's original IQ scores when he was seven, we spent years questioning whether he was just ND, which was fine, or if he had some sort of LD. Given how advanced he was as a baby, toddler, and preschooler, our gut feeling (and our original reason for testing) was that something was making it more difficult for him at school than it should have been given his previous development. In the intervening years, he continued to do well in school but was having to work really hard at it (harder than other ND kids we know), particularly with reading aloud, although his reading comprehension is great. So, we decided that we needed to look further. I definitely believe that he was motivated to do well on the WISC both times and that he did his best and was attentive, so I don't think that's an issue. I know what you mean though -- I spent a while when he was seven trying to figure out if his original score shocked us because it was contrary to what we knew about our son or because it meant that he was "just" ND. Really, though, after much thought over time, we were shocked because he was clearly at least a LOG2 prior to school. Still, this really is what I'm wrestling with. Is he ND and thus so very different than the rest of us (which is find, just different), or does he need our help with some LD that is of now undiagnosed. Clearly, we love him dearly either way and really appreciate him for the nice, sweet, hard-working boy that he is and always will be.
Dottie, thank you for pointing out that maybe there could be some wild disparity of subtest strengths that are canceling each other out on paper, but not in daily life. I didn't really think of this, and it could be true. It will be good to see the actual scores in their entirety to see if this bears out. If there is a LD, I feel like that's something we can work with.
Master of None, I think we will definitely consult a pediatric neurologist. I think we have to wait to make an appointment until the psych refers us, for insurance purposes. He has always had trouble pulling words from his head despite a large vocabulary, and isn't very althetic despite his very early physical milestones, and does have a long history of ear infections, so hopefully a consult would be helpful.
Thank you again for all your support. He really is a wonderful kid, and I just want the best for him.
