Our 7 yr. son was tested by his school's psychologist recently. He had been referred for testing by his 1st grade teacher because of behavioral concerns/inattention in class. His social skills have also lagged behind his age peers.
WISC-IV results: FSIQ 138; VC 144; PR 139; WM 123; PS 103
Verbal subtests: Sim. 17; Vocab. 16; Comp. 19
Percep. subtests: BlockDsgn. 13; PicConcepts 19; MatrixRsng 17
WM subtests: DigitSpan 15; Let-Num Seq. 13
PS subtests: Coding 12; SymSrch 9

We are now seeking the guidance of an independent psychologist to address social skills issues, and discuss what testing results mean for academic purposes. We are hoping that the psychologist we work with will not insist on further testing, but do not know if that is a reasonable position to take. Should he/she be able to work with the data developed through the school's testing in providing us guidance on these issues? Also, is it imperative that we find a "gifted" specialist?

Hi Golfer,
I think a psychologist will need more than the scores you have for behavioral consultation. Most important I think, are your own observations. But I imagine testing for ADHD, etc might happen. I personally would take it all in stride as much as possible at this point. My experience has been that one year (one teacher) my son has "behavioral problems" and the next (next teacher) he magically doesn't. I guess it really depends on what the behaviors are and what the social skills are. Is he challenged? Is he listening but not showing it? Does he have any interests in common with the other kids? etc.

As for a "gifted" specialist. I don't think it is imperative, but it certainly is important that whoever you go to understands the common behaviors of gifted kids.

Enjoy the journey!

Bennybat

I would find a gifted psych, if only because your son is so gifted, he may feel more comfortable with an adult who *gets* him, particularly if he isn't feeling the love from the teachers at school!!

The re-testing issue is something to consider. He can't be re-tested on the WISC, however, out of level achievement testing wouldn't be unreasonable to look at unless it would be a financial hardship..........

I would meet with the person you are considering, listen to what he/she offers and take some time to think about it.

It's kind of hard to tell if the pysch is a good fit for your son/family until you meet that person and hear what they suggest and why. Good luck.

Neato

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I have not been successful in tracking down a psychologist who specializes in working with gifted children; I guess I will continue to work on that angle. I really just want to get this right for my child.
Regarding achievement testing, the KTEA-II was also administered by the school:
Nonsense Word Decoding: 153
Letter & Word Recognition: 149
Reading Comp.: 145
Math Computation: 129
Math Concepts & Applications: 130
Spelling: 112
My son is in a small, independent K-8 school, where they have been very helpful in working through the testing processes. However, I am a little concerned that the ball is in my court and I am not sure what to do with it. Summer is just about here and a new school year will be upon us quickly. Any comments on "key steps" in this process will be welcomed.

I would second Golfer26's suggestion to meet with the professional you are considering first. My son, 11, sees someone and she's very nice, and good, but I think he is manipulating the hour too much. I have since heard of two psychologists in town who work with gifted kids. A teacher in the pull out (1 day a week) program gave me their names. It's hard to think of starting over, so take your time at the beginning.

I'm also looking at trying to tie a lot of different pieces together and am looking for someone to help me with this. Have any of you gone to anyplace like the Eide Clinic in Seattle? or an Amen clinic? Maybe I just need a good pediatrician to coordinate all the pieces of the puzzle.

Just another opinion, FWIW, I would attempt to see a psychologist who specializes in the gifted. I don't think all pyschologists are aware how much giftedness and its parts (see Dobrowski's overexcitabilities) contribute to behavior issues in the classroom. It has been a huge issue for us and my DS11.

Good luck!

Hi Golfer26
those scores are really impressive. I am curious if the psych gave you a GAI (global ability index)..seeing that the PS subtests are significantly lower, i'd think the GAI would be a better measure of true ability, and would be extremely high in his case.
irene

I think the GAI in this case would be 153.

My son had a very similar breakdown in scores-- both IQ and achievement-- same strengths and weaknesses.

Is the school asking you to do something?

By my calculation, the GAI was 151. I claim NO expertise in this, and I am not certain I got it right.

We are not being asked by the school to do anything. My concern is that we need to be thinking about how all this should figure into his next school year. My sense is that the school will work with us to accommodate his needs; we just have to determine what those needs are (??)

I tend to view the "social skills" as a side issue, though perhaps I shouldn't. We are currently looking into a program for this summer. A big concern for me is that my son doesn't start to feel like there is something "wrong" with him.

yeah, I was looking at the Canadian norms, which I guess yield slightly higher number for some reason.

In Canada, your son would have a GAI of 153!

I agree you should prioritize his not feeling there is something "wrong" with him-- and if the school is not pressuring you, you should let him mature... unless your gut is telling you something is wrong...

I wonder why your school would recommend testing and then not have a plan to do anything with it? Did they assume that he was going to score on the low side?
Are the problems mentioned only being seen at school or at home also?
I would check with your state's gifted laws and then approach the school for an Educational Plan meeting.
Many problems can be worked out my having a meeting that includes the pricipal, the teacher, and your psych. if you find one.
In the meantime I would follow up with the school psych. who did the test and ask her some directed questions. She should have made notes in the full report outlining his behavior patterns during the test. You may get some answers from her.
GOOD LUCK!

Floridama, I think the school does plan to "do something with it". Everyone seemed to agree that my son was significantly ahead of his peers academically. However, it was the inattention in the classroom and difficulty relating to his age peers that prompted testing. Turns out, with observation and the testing, that some of those "issues" are probably at least partially related to his need for more challenge in the classroom.
Note - The school psych. recommended a grade skip (to 3rd), but neither we nor the head of school were convinced that is the right thing to do. Maybe when he matures a bit more? I look forward to meeting with an independent psych. very soon to try to sort out all of the test results and determine how to proceed with the school.

Further to the situation outlined in the above posts, we have met with the independent (not the school's)psychologist, and, after a lengthy discussion, decided to proceed with neuropsych. testing to rule out (please!) attention deficit for our DS7. My question now: Does anyone have any advice on talking with your child about testing (i.e., that testing is going to happen; why testing is being done)? I have given it a lot of thought, and hope that I will present it in a way that will not make him anxious. When the IQ and achievement testing was done at school, he didn't know it was coming, and never (believe it or not) mentioned it to us when it was ongoing or completed! Guess he just thought it was a challenging and fun exercise...a welcomed break from the "usual"!

I am hopeful that some seasoned veterans here might be willing to share suggestions on how best to put your child at ease about testing (?)

My kids accepted the idea that educational testing was a kind of "brain checkup". I explained that a psychologist is a doctor who asks certain questions to find out how people think and learn. I didn't use the word "test".

You can also ask the psychologist for suggestions about how to talk to your DS about testing.