My son did a WPPSI at 4yrs 3mo with these results (and of course loads of ceiling issues):
VIQ 147
PIQ 131
PSQ 119
FSIQ 141
HappilyMom, I'm more familiar with the WISC, and I'm not 100% certain which subtests are used on the WPPSI, but fwiw, the tests on the WISC that are most highly impacted by vision challenges are the subtests under Processing Speed (PSQ), and one or two of the subtests under PIQ... so considering that you are seeing those two scores significantly lower than your ds' VIQ, I'd take that as potentially another reason to consider seeking out a COVD.
My son's hyperactivity is rather similar in expression to a manic episode but isn't cyclical and is pretty constant. He is a very cheerful, enthusiastic person, is always talking, always moving. He only maintains focus and performs well on quieter activities with extreme amounts of exercise. He is currently enrolled in Gymnastics, Running Club, Basketball, Soccer, Tball, Bowling, Tennis, and a general sports skills class. He needs at least 2hrs of intense aerobic exercise every day to function more normally. After a full day of athletics, the next day the teacher says "He was so focused today! He got all his work done and did really well. Even on handwriting!" If stuck inside all day he is so intense that his father and I tag team to keep from losing our sanity.
He does sound like the children I've known who have ADHD (with the HD emphasized!). OTOH, my dd who went through vision therapy was also a bundle of never-ending energy when she was little and before VT... we couldn't keep her seated long enough to even begin to do any schoolwork.. we honestly couldn't even get her to sit down most days. Turns out, that for her, the issue was vision, not ADHD. She's still a fairly energetic kid who loves sports like running, swinging on the swingset, swimming, skiing, riding bikes, anything that takes a lot of energy but not a huge amount of skill or teamwork
I had looked at dyspraxia before... how do you diagnose if no two are impacted the same way?
I should probably have said "exactly" the same way - because there are commonalities... but otoh there are also a lot of differences in how it impacts people. The way it was diagnosed for our ds was a combination of observed fine motor challenges on neuropsych testing (including testing beyond just IQ vs achievement), a detailed developmental history, and an interview with the neuropsych re current level of functioning (at the time he was diagnosed, he was 8 years old and having difficulty with things like buttons, zippers, not wanting to have to get dressed in the morning, taking a long time to get dressed, not having learned how to tie shoes yet, and not knowing the difference between left and right). My ds also didn't speak until he was 3 years old, and never babbled like most babies do.
Some things fit there but he walked and crawled pretty normally (grandmas feared he would walk without crawling with his precociousness on standing and cruising but he did crawl first and all was before 1yr.) He spoke early and precociously with first word at 4 months and sentences by 8months. He also potty trained himself at 18 months with no siblings and no input or effort from anyone else.
Those things don't sound like dypraxia to me.
I know I do need the Neuropsych eval but I think that with my teacher/principal meeting to discuss possible grade acceleration of 1-2yrs coming up in 2 days, I am feeling nervous about what placement will serve him best. We have only made it through K this year because it was such a short day (2.5hrs including gym each day) and it was what he needed to recover from the trauma he experienced at his gifted school.
Is the gifted school (that caused the trauma) the school he's in now for K?
Next year is 6.5hrs. Not learning anything for 2.5hrs is way different than 6.5hrs of not learning. Especially for a kid with anxiety and ADHD. I'm fearful of seeing negative patterns developing for him again.
Your worries are completely absolutely understandable. OTOH it's possible that a change of school or teachers might make a huge difference in how your ds feels about school. A skip would probably work out really well for him re academics, but I think it's important also to try to figure out what's up with possible vision or other issues asap, because he may need support and accommodations in full-day school - and if he needs those and isn't receiving them and is grade-skipped... possible recipe for school staff thinking the skip isn't appropriate.
Good luck to you as you continue seeking answers, and also good luck with your school meeting!
polarbear
