Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Strange choice of words

Her VCI scores actually aren't that "low" - you're looking at them in comparison to an extremely high PIQ. If she had an average PIQ, you'd be looking at them as "really high"... seriously! They are certainly high enough (in my very un-professional opinion) high enough for her to be acquiring language such as "defeated" rather than "beat"

polarbear

My concern is more about her choice in words and fitting them in her daily conversations. I'm not too concerned with how big of words she uses or doesn't use.

I just find the words she chooses are odd in the context for which she uses them. They don't fit perfectly with what she is saying. But as others have mentioned, perhaps she is experimenting with what she knows. And I believe I mentioned already she has a rather dramatic flair which she definitely enjoys using in her speech.

In Australia my DDs assessment was done by a speech pathologist with a masters in ASD, no sure who you would see in the USA?

Following on this one because my son(4) does something similar, though in his case, I'm not sure that his word choices make sense.

For example, he's always called the signs that tell you not to do something that are a red circle with a line through it "damage" signs. And if he doesn't want something, he might make an x mark with his fingers and say "damage".

The other day, he got upset because I "boosted" him on the stairs. I didn't know what that meant and asked and he explained that it meant I went past him (boosted past him). I suppose this one could come from video games or something, but it was weird.

You know....my DD used to be much more like this, and now she isn't. I don't know what that is about. I did used to find it just a little troubling, in that it somehow read a little ASD-ish to me, in line with the "little professor" speech they describe for Asperger's. Or it just sounded a little quirky/off.

She is more likely to use big words slightly inappropriately in writing now. But she doesn't do it in speech. I have wondered if it's intentional; probably. Her social awareness gets better all the time.

She has definitely lost some of her ASD flags over the years (for instance, as I've mentioned elsewhere, she's gotten much less literal). She's always been gray area; really a tricky one.


eta: ah, just noticed what HK wrote!


Yes, I think DD has figured this out as well.

For an assessment, I'd recommend a developmental pediatrician or a neuropsychologist. There are others who can do language testing, but those two types of doctors can do the most thorough testing and help point you to where you need to go next for help.

My DS9 uses words oddly as well sometimes, and has a dx of PDD-NOS. (My favorite of his is 'verses'. I think he picked it up from a video game, but he uses it in a dozen different contexts where it doesn't quite fit, lol. "Kayden versed me today on the monkey bars, but I won.")

We have that one here too; I think it's preteen-boy slang...

DeeDee

I think that use of the word versed is fine, too :-)

This is my DS8 too, although a bit less so this year. There are many days when I ask him what he's done and he'll say "play by myself." The other day it was soccer... I guess he was kicking around a soccer ball, alone.

The school staff tell me it's by choice. They say sometimes he wants to play with the other kids, and they welcome him (phew). They say it's "just his personality - often times he's happy by himself."

I remember the Kindergarten teacher being unsure about it: "I'm not sure if he wants to play alone, or if he wants to play with the others and just doesn't know how." Now that he's in grade 3, we know it's by choice.

Speaking of digging in the dirt - the first year our current principal was here (I think DS was 6, in grade 1) he wrote a little blurb about leadership in the school newsletter, and he talked about DS digging by himself in the dirt, and how it inspired other kids to copy him. It was pretty cool

Yes!! Ha! That's another one my DS uses. (thank you). lol I'm going to have to start taking notes.