Loir H - congratulations to your son for a job well done! He must be soaring, and you must be too.
I have a son with many learning disabilities and a profile that is extremely spiky - verbal in the gifted range, processing speed border-line. I chose to believe that he cannot be defined by his IQ in any manner. Clearly he is smart, but clearly there are cognitive challenges that get in the way of production. But, what the neuro-psychological testing does not measure is "heart", work ethic, tolerance for frustration, social skills, special talents.
In my opinion (for what it is worth), none of us can be defined by our test results. Success can be measured in so many ways. Certain talents and personal attributes are difficult to measure. There are so many aspects to intelligence - and the WISC and other tests do not tap into these.
So - should your child be limited by his low performance scores on an IQ test? Based on what you described - NO. Will his difficulties come in to play and sometimes lower his out put? probably sometimes. But in my opinion, this does not mean you should ever lower your hopes, dreams and expectations. Better to be there to help him manage, compensate and to support him when his issues create a barrier. But never "expect" low potential.
What kinds of issues could low performance cause? For my child it means that it takes him longer to complete tasks. Sometimes it zaps his energy. Sometimes it causes confusions - for concepts that are well within his reach. But the key word is sometimes. And since he is able to handle frustration and work like a dog, he is usually able to overcome. I'd take him as a top draft pick for my team anytime - despite his challenges.
Seems you can say the same about your son. Again, thanks for sharing the success story. It is inspirational.
