Hi all! I have been reading for a while, but first post from me.

My 7yo was tested on WISC-V last year aged 6, with FSIQ right on 130 (GAI 134).

As time goes on, I suspect 2E but am still debating whether to go down the diagnosis investigation path with him just yet. He seems to have a lot of quirks, probably more than can be attributed to his IQ (which, from many accounts should really be a bit of a �sweet spot�).

Anyway, to the point, I would appreciate any knowledge or feedback on his Working Memory subtest results.

Digit span 13
Picture span 12
Letter-number sequencing 14

Within Digit Span, DS forwards was 10, DS backwards was 11 and DS sequencing was 15.

The two explanations in his report are that he possibly gained experience and therefore proficiency during the test, or that he was less interested in the easier questions and therefore performed worse. Are there any other explanations?

Thanks in advance, happy to provide his full results if anyone is interested.

Welcome!

Those two explanations are quite reasonable, and do occur. Another possibility, which may encompass the original explanations, includes subtle attentional weaknesses, which would be another reason he might have been less interested in the easier questions, and more engaged by the "harder" ones. The main quality LNS and DSS (his strongest WMI performances) have in common is that they both involve using some kind of rule in reproducing the memory content, rather than straight rote memory. That is, of course, a more interesting task than verbatim repetition (DSF), and even than the ones with small amounts of manipulation (DSB) or distractors (PS) involved.

What about him makes you suspect a second exceptionality? Are there IRL functional or performance concerns?

Edited to remove double post

Thanks very much for your knowledgeable response, aeh. I did write a response but it disappeared.

He is definitely quirky in many ways. He�s a perfectionist, and has numerous small anxieties and sensory sensitivities. Although he is popular and has a lot of friends, he is still clearly �different� than others his age which is becoming more evident as he gets older (and we see more of his peers, I guess). He has quite rigid thinking in many ways including friendships, is a rule follower and expects others to be also.

He is extended appropriately at school with no issues reported, but we do get meltdowns semi regularly at home. At home his attention is an issue as he likes to flit between activities and settles on none (except tech). His executive function appears to be lacking, he still needs a lot of reminding to get dressed and such, yet at school he never loses a thing!

If his other scores would be useful I am happy to provide

Thank you!

If you suspect 2E, you may have already read up on it...?
Here are a few links, just in case any of the background info at these websites may be helpful, going forward:
1- wrightslaw - https://www.wrightslaw.com/
2- understood - https://www.understood.org/
3- The 2e Resource - https://2eresource.com/ (formerly 2e newsletter)
4- 2e News * - https://www.2enews.com/ (formerly 2e newsletter)

*Note the Beyond Giftedness conference, Friday April 30, 2021
. Clicking on the Beyond Giftedness banner on the 2e News website takes one to a conference webpage:
. - This will be a virtual conference.
. - Speaker topics and bios are presented.
. - Registration is still open.

Apologies for the delayed response.

Your descriptions do suggest that there might be some kind of executive function weakness, perhaps in the general category of ADHD. If it's not interfering with his general happiness and continued growth as a whole person, it's probably more something to keep an eye on than to fully dive into evaluation on. It sounds like he's able to meet EF expectations in school, and you have a reasonable handle on ways to scaffold and support him at home. Keep in mind that he is still quite young; needing reminders to get dressed and do other daily living activities is not all that unusual for a seven-year-old. (Who here has had to remind their teenager to brush his teeth?!)

Sorry for the double post, took a few weeks to get approved and I doubted whether I had hit the right button 😅

Thanks again for your responses. I am also leaning towards monitoring, but when we go through a rough patch as we do every few weeks, I feel frustrated and wish I had some answers and strategies to assist.

iceu,

You might find Peg Dawson's work on executive functions helpful:

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-but-Scattered-Revolutionary-Executive/dp/1593854455/

Also, many have found Ross Greene's work on creating collaborative, win-win solutions useful:

https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Human-Beings-Collaborative-Partnership/dp/1476723761/
https://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Child-Understanding-Frustrated-Chronically/dp/0062270451/
https://www.livesinthebalance.org/