My son went through testing last year. I wanted his dysgraphia and dyspraxia documented so he could get extra time on tests if he needed it and OT and PT if he needed it. Although we homeschool, I just like to be prepared, just in case he had to go back to public school. I wasn't prepared for the aftermath of the testing. My son was also told he had a high verbal IQ and a learning disability. This came as a shock to my son who said he didn't have trouble learning anything. People had always made comments about how smart he is.
After the shock wore off, he said he did realize that he learns differently. We did online searches to find other people who are also twice exceptional and this board helps because I can read about other kids who sound a lot like him. I read some of the posts to him so he knows he is not alone, it just seems like it where we live.
We used to have trouble explaining his differences (to them he looked lazy but he talked like an articulate adult) to Cub Scout leaders. They said they could not allow any accommodations for him when he crossed over to Boy Scouts unless he had documentation of the disability, so this was another reason we thought testing would be a good idea. It always felt like people thought we were lying about the disability and since he didn't fit in with this group anyway, he was constantly reminded that he was different. It was too hard to fit in and it wasn't right for him. He wanted to quit and I let him.
There was no denying that my child was different so I started pointing out all the ways he is different and how I love these differences. If he hadn't had dyspraxia, he might not have discovered musical theater and his ability to sing and act. He would have been too busy with football to read as much as he does and we would not be able to have all the wonderful conversations we have. He might not have learned as much about music. He would want to talk about football instead of books or things that are happening in the news or the wonders of new technology and neuroscience.
We went to a community event for kids recently. A local church had organized a "mudfest." Since my son wears a brace, all he could do was watch, but we listened to the kids speak, we watched how they acted, and we later saw things they wrote on Facebook and I told him how happy I am that he is the way he is.
He discovered on his own that he can perform better than someone without a disability if he tries really hard and this discovery helped him a lot. In his musical theater group he doesn't get the part if he can't do the job, disability or no disability, and I think this is true in real life so this is good for him. He got better at explaining the accommodations he needs (like extra breaks) so that he can be successful.
A year after testing he knows that doctors can be wrong, that tests don't tell the whole story, there are exceptions to the rule and because of neuroplasticity he has the power to change some things that are difficult for him. He believed in the power of neuroplasticity, which he had read a lot about, even though the neuropsychologist told us it was too late for OT or PT. He proved her wrong. We have videos of him dancing in musical theater from the time he was four. His coordination and balance are so good now that he is not a back row dancer and the boost in confidence he got from this carried over to singing solos.
