Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Need info on Dysgraphia skewing IQ test results

I also agree, and would add that you want to make sure that the tester really understands 2e issues. It's not good enough for them to say they have experience with gifted kids--our 2e kids have a tendency to throw gifted "experts" for a loop.

Thank you for your feedback. This is exactly what I think is going on with my son but I've yet to find any studies or reports to back it up in a meeting.

The diagnostician from the school told me recently that she knows how badly some parents want their kids to be gifted, but some of them just aren't - but that doesn't mean they're not bright or valuable or blah, blah, blah.

Having been a mother of one bright but not gifted child and another child who tested gifted in all three exceptionalities, I can say without equivocation that I would never wish being gifted on a child for the sake of my ego. It is rife with its own set of challenges and hurdles, and I often think gifted kids have a bit rougher road because of assumptions made about them and because they do not fit easily within the standard education model.

My reason for pushing so hard with my youngest is because I recognize that while the numbers may not indicate a gifted IQ, he displays many of the characteristics of the gifted personality. And as such, he is not going to thrive inside of a square peg in the public school system. But because of his LD, he is not going to thrive in a private school, either. And so I keep pushing the system to give him services that they don't think he needs and keep pushing a diagnostician who thinks I am one of those moms who needs to have gifted kids to feel good about herself.

So true!

If you don't mind my asking, what type of remediation did you utilize with your ds? I'm still not convinced that my erratic dd9 doesn't have some type of LD. We're mostly working on confidence, pushing for accelerated classes even when group test scores don't quite qualify her, and supplementing at home. I don't know if that's the best approach, though. I think that others have me convinced that there is no magic bullet, but success stories are always good to hear !

I got a call yesterday morning from my son's special ed teacher saying she did some in-class testing to see what she should help him work on. He tested at or above grade level in all the areas where he needed remediation, and she said she was concerned about him remaining in the pull-out class because the rest of the kids were much lower functioning. She talked with my son's teacher, and wanted to know if I would agree to have my son stay in regular ed full time and have her as a consultant in the class or for impromptu pull-outs should he need help with a particular task.

I spoke with his teacher, and he is more than supportive of having my son do work on the computer when possible - including taking his spelling tests this way (although we did decide that we might want to disable spell check).

We aren't going to make any of the changes official - just a trial run so that we all know better what does and doesn't work when it comes time to address his IEP meeting next month.

ABQMom (I love that since I grew up in ABQ!), that sounds like a positive development to me. Are you feeling that way? Both his teacher and his secial ed teacher seem to get that your son may need some accommodations and that he is doing very well academically. They sound like very attentive teachers who are really trying to meet your DS where he is, which is really what we all want. A trial run seems like a great plan. How does DS feel about it?

He's so cute about it, mnmom. (BTW 30 days until Balloon Fiesta, since you're a native. Hee.)

He came home and told me he "graduated" from special ed. As much as he said he was worried about losing the smaller class, I think it was a huge boost for him. I'm not sure exactly how or when it happened, since last year I had to help with a major amount of reading, but he sat down last night and read a chapter of Hatchet in a matter of minutes. Something has clicked, and he seems to be off to the races with a bang.

I am still going to fight for the special ed classification at his IEP, because he moves up to midschool next year, and I'm worried about how he'll do with that many different classes and teachers. They may not all be so understanding about a kid who still spells all three versions of there/their/they're as "theer" - no matter how many times I have him correct it.